General Motors launched a recall that impacts millions of vehicles. This campaign follows pressure from the federal government, as regulators worry that the vehicles’ brakes might pose a risk to occupants.
According to the company, vehicles listed under this recall include the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, and 3500, as well as the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, and Chevy Suburban and Tahoe. Some of the impacted vehicles are from the 2014 through 2018 model years while others are from the 2015 through 2017 and from 2015 through 2018 model years.
The vehicles may present issues as they age, the company stated. And because the pump in the power-assist brakes could put out less vacuum power. In this case, the vehicle will take longer to come to a full stop. This could make the vehicles more likely to crash.
The issue came under the watchful eyes of regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in November 2018. After that, regulators started pressuring General Motors to issue a recall.
Impacted car owners should take their vehicles to dealers. Staff should be able to recalibrate the electronic brake control module in the vehicles for free. This should help to prevent accidents. At this point, the firm already sent out notices about this recall to car owners. However, if you own one of the recalled vehicles and you did not receive anything in the mail, reach out to GM to learn more.
GM Recall Came After Over One Hundred Complaints
The NHTSA reported that the investigation started after receiving 111 complaints regarding poor braking performance. Regulators also learned of at least nine accidents. including two that led to injuries.
But despite these several complaints and incidents, the company said that the problems occur rarely. Furthermore, GM added, most of the incidents take place when the vehicle is going at lower speeds. The firm then added that the issue did not make the vehicles’ brake less likely to meet federal safety requirements.
Despite these claims, we know that engine oil that flows through a filter screen goes through the vacuum pumps for lubrication. And that in some of the trucks, oil sludge and debris build up. This clogs the screen and reduces the oil flow. This is what ends up impacting the pump’s vacuum output.
The problem does not impact the secondary power brake assist system, the company added. This part helps to keep the vehicle braking in case there’s an issue with the main system. However, this only helps the vehicle if it’s going at lower speeds. Part of the fix is to activate the secondary system faster.
The firm took months to launch the recall, considering the NHTSA opened the investigation last year.
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