FX.co ★ GM Recalls Around 820K Pickup Trucks Over Tailgate Issue

General Motors, a leading automaker, has issued a recall for approximately 820,000 pickup trucks due to problems with power-unlatching tailgates. This recall involves selected 2020-2024 models of Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. Within this lot, around 570,434 units are from the United States and nearly 249,000 units belong to the Canadian market.

The company cautioned that these tailgates might open unexpectedly while driving, possibly resulting in unsecured cargo falling out. This situation could consequently pose a road hazard and increase the crash risk. The decision to recall came after General Motors received 136 complaints of unexpected tailgate opening during driving, reported between September 1, 2020, and August 1, 2023. Among these were one allegation of minor injury and three instances of minor property damage.

In the United States, the recall affects 311,368 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 (HD) vehicles and 259,066 GMC Sierra 2500/3500 (HD) vehicles. It specifically pertains to 2500/3500 (HD) series vehicles equipped with the manual gate along with the power lock and release, i.e., RPO QT5. However, vehicles of the HD series with other tailgate configurations are not targeted under this recall.

A report posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website hints at the underlying issue. It says that under certain circumstances, water may infiltrate into these vehicles' tailgates and make contact with the electronic gate-release switch, potentially causing a short circuit. This could cause the gate to unlatch inadvertently while the vehicle is parked. If not manually closed by the driver before beginning a drive, cargo in the truck bed might spill out, creating a road hazard and upping the crash risk.

Nevertheless, the vehicle's body control module will prevent the tailgate latch from releasing when the vehicle is in gear, even if a release signal is received from the exterior touchpad switch. To rectify this issue, designated dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies, free of charge. Until the recall process is fully carried out, vehicle owners are advised to manually check that the tailgate is properly closed and latched prior to driving. General Motors announced that owner notifications will be mailed out starting March 18.