WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than 877,000 vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM) are the subject of a safety probe launched on January 16 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) following multiple reports and complaints of catastrophic engine damage that are potentially connected to rod bearing failures.
Approximately 877,710 GM vehicles are the subject of the NHTSA ODI investigation, including the model year 2019-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2021-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade SUVs equipped with L87 6.2L V8 engines.
The probe was launched following 39 complaints being filed with the NHTSA ODI, in addition to multiple field reports, all claiming that GM vehicles – without drivers reporting any prior symptoms or issues at all – had experienced complete engine failures.
The investigation will initially focus on how widespread and serious the issues being experienced by GM drivers are, and to look into the scope of potential safety problems posed by them if they are revealed to be accurate. GM may be compelled to issue a major recall for the models in question if the ODI dies indeed find that a safety risk is present, which could prove to be very costly for the automotive manufacturer.
The engine at the heart of the probe, GMs L87 V8, was originally introduced in 2019, utilizes cast nodular iron for its forged steel crankshaft, connecting rod bearing caps, and overhead valves, which experts say is prone to problems ranging from surface defects to micro shrinkage pores, which in some instances can result in the formation of cracks.
However, it is not currently known if this issue can result in the catastrophic engine failures that GM drivers are claiming; however, NHTSA is currently also investigating Honda Motor Company over their 2016-2020 Honda vehicles equipped with six-cylinder engines over the same potential problem, which in that instance could affect as many as 1.4 million vehicles.
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist, videographer, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.