By Thaler
General Motors is recalling nearly 820,000 pickup trucks over a faulty electronic latch mechanism used to open the trucks’ tailgates, increasing the risk of road hazards and crashes.
Detroit-based GM said in a safety recall notice earlier reported on by CNN that affected vehicles include 570,434 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra with model years between 2020 and 2024 in the US, while an additional 249,000 were sold in Canada.
All of the gates on the affected trucks’ beds may short circuit if water gets into the electric tailgate, GM warned, meaning the hinged door could inadvertently fall open and unsecured cargo in the bed may exit the vehicle “if the driver does not manually close the gate before beginning to drive.”
Per GM’s safety notice, it received 136 complaints of the tailgate opening “while driving,” though the gate is only intended to open when the vehicle is parked.
Among the complaints, one customer reported a minor injury and three reported “minor property damage,” GM said, though it didn’t elaborate on the complaints.
“The control logic in the body control module (BCM) would prevent release of the tailgate latch when the vehicle is in gear, even if the BCM receives a release signal from the exterior touchpad switch,” the company also wrote, warning owners to make sure they manually close their tailgate before driving until the recall is complete.
Affected customers are set to be notified if their vehicle is affected by the recall starting on March 18.
It wasn’t immediately clear when GM expects the recall to conclude.
In the meantime, drivers with defective tailgates can take their pickup truck to a dealer to replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies, which will improve the part’s water resistance.
GM said it will reimburse customers for the repair costs.
A spokesperson for GM told that it learned of the issue from “customer feedback and a subsequent GM product investigation.”
The rep also assured that “the safety and satisfaction of our customers are among the highest priorities for the entire GM team, and we’re working to quickly remedy this matter.”
GM’s recall adds to a long list of recalls in recent weeks – most of which were issued by Toyota, which last week said 381,199 Toyota Tacoma trucks with model years 2022 and 2023 in the US were experiencing a brake performance issue that increases the risk of a crash.
The problem stems “welding debris left on the ends of the rear axle assembly during manufacturing,” which may lead to an axle shaft separation, Toyota said, adding that affected customers will be notified via mail by late April 2024.
Then on Feb. 23, the Japanese auto firm voluntarily recalled 280,000 of its pickup truck and SUV models over a safety issue where the transmission may not disengage entirely when in neutral, causing the vehicles to “creep forward.”
This recall affects Toyota Tundra, Tundra Hybrid, Sequoia and the company’s luxury Lexus LX 600 vehicles in the US with 2022 to 2024 model years.
In addition, some 19,000 Mirai and Lexus LS, LC and ES vehicles with 2023 and 2024 model years distributed in North America, Japan and Asia were recalled over “a software programming issue.”
Separately, some 4,000 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid vehicles were also recalled over safety issues with the head restraints on rear fold-down seats that “increase the risk of injury during certain collisions.”
