General Motors Recalls 461,000 Vehicles Over Wheel Issue

General Motors (GM) is recalling 461,839 vehicles due to a transmission defect that may cause rear wheels to lock up, increasing the risk of a crash Reuters has reported.
The recall affects certain models from 2020 to 2022, including the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe, and GMC Yukon amongst others.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identified the issue as a potential failure in the transmission control valve.
To address this, GM will provide a free installation of new transmission control module software and offer a special coverage program for repairing transmissions with defective control valves.
GM has also asked all its dealers to stop the delivery of any vehicles affected by this defect.
Newsweek has emailed the GM Media Center for comment.
The NHTSA reports that “a recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. Most decisions to conduct a recall and remedy a safety defect are made voluntarily by manufacturers prior to any involvement by NHTSA.”
When a recall is issued, manufacturers must remedy the problem by repairing or replacing vehicles, offering a refund or even repurchasing the vehicle from the owner.
This transmission defect recall is the latest in a series of recalls for GM.
On November 5 it was revealed that the automotive manufacturer would recall 107 Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV vehicles over a fire risk. This covers vehicles from model years 2020 to 2022 which had previously been repaired.
The NHTSA issued this recall after it was found that the installation of advanced diagnostic software in vehicles may have failed, leading to an increased fire risk when the battery was fully or nearly fully charged. Owners of affected cars were advised not to charge their cars beyond 90 percent, avoid depleting the range to 70 miles and refrain from charging their cars inside overnight.
In late September GM also issued a recall for 450,000 pick up trucks and SUVs due to a potentially inoperative low brake fluid warning light. This recall included the 2023 model year Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2023-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV models.
This issues was first raised when a GM engineer submitted it to the company’s Speak up for Safety programme in April. No injuries have been reported due to this fault and the issue can be remedied with an over-the-air update to fix the electronic brake control module software.
In 2023, GM held a 16.9 percent share in the U.S. auto market, making it the most successful automotive manufacturer in the country.