Category Archives: General Motors

News about General Motors automobile manufacturer. News about General Motors recalls, technical service bulletins (TSB), and problems regarding General Motors vehicles.

GM 2nd Quarter Sales Increase 40 Percent

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General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) announced it sold 688,236 vehicles in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2021 – an increase of 40 percent compared to a year ago – in a unique market bolstered by strong customer demand, but constrained by low inventories resulting from the global semiconductor shortage.

“The U.S. economy is accelerating, consumer spending is robust and jobs are plentiful,” said Elaine Buckberg, GM chief economist. “Consumer demand for vehicles is also strong, but constrained by very tight inventories. We expect continued high demand in the second half of this year and into 2022.”

“The agility and creativity of our supply chain, purchasing, engineering and manufacturing teams, in collaboration with our suppliers and dealers, have helped us continue to satisfy customers and gain market share in some of the highest demand segments of the market,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president, Sales Operations.

GM is well positioned in 2021 to lead the industry in full-size and mid-size pickup sales for the seventh consecutive year. During the quarter, GM earned 40.6 percent of the retail market for full-size pickups, up 4.5 percentage points year over year (J.D. Power PIN), with more than 237,000 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras sold in the quarter.

The company is taking steps to meet customers’ future needs, especially in capacity-constrained segments:

GM announced that production of HD pickups will increase by about 1,000 trucks per month beginning in mid-July as a result of production line efficiencies delivered by the team at Flint Assembly in Michigan.
Also, GM will return full-size pickup production to Oshawa Assembly in Canada at the end of 2021.
Shipments of Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups built at Wentzville Assembly in Missouri increase by about 30,000 total units from mid-May through early July as the team completes dynamic vehicle testing on units held at the plant due to semiconductor supply disruptions.

GM ended the quarter with 211,974 units in inventory, down from 334,628 at the end of the first quarter.

  • Chevrolet Bolt EV delivers record second-quarter and first-half deliveries.
  • Buick sales rise 86 percent on strong demand for new Encore GX, redesigned Envision, and Enclave, creating the brand’s best quarter in more than 15 years.
  • GMC records best second quarter and best first half since 2005 driven by Yukon and Yukon XL.
  • Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra sales up a combined 36 percent, with light-duty models posting strong segment share gains.
  • Cadillac’s second quarter retail sales were its best since 2015.

Click Here to read the full report.

2018 Cadillac Escalade – GM Lemon Law Buyback

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Our client was happy to buy a 2018 Cadillac Escalade.

On March 21, 2018 he took it in to the authorized Cadillac dealership because the service stabilitrak warning light would intermittently come on. The car was at the dealership for 16 days.

On December 6 he brought the Escalade back into the dealership because the service stabilitrak light was flashing and then stayed on. The service airbag light was on, too. The vehicle was in the shop for 11 days this time.

The last visit was on March 21, 2019. Our client brought the vehicle back to the dealership because the airbag light was on. The service stabilitrak message was on again. The vehicle was in the shop for 6 days this visit.

Our client called a few months later as someone had told him about the California Lemon Law. He spoke with attorney Barry L. Edzant and emailed some documents for Barry to review. He signed a retainer agreement shortly thereafter and a demand letter was sent to General Motors Corporation.

GMC decided to buy back the vehicle under the CA Lemon Law. They reimbursed our client for his down payment, all monthly payments made so far, his registration, paid off the balance of the loan minus a usage fee the manufacturer is entitled to under the law and paid the attorney fees.

If you are concerned that your vehicle may be a lemon, please call our office at 888-395-3666. We handle cases throughout the state of California.

2021 Cadillac, Chevrolet And GMC Trucks Steering Warning Indicator

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General Motors has decided that a problem affecting vehicle steering exists in certain 2021 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC trucks. GM opened an investigation into the condition after receiving a field report of loss of power steering assist in a 2021 GMC Yukon.

According to the defect report, diagnostic trouble code (DTC) data obtained from the vehicle indicated that the power steering system may contain a software error that causes loss of power steering assist at startup or while driving. Vehicle testing demonstrated that manual steering remained available without power assist, but increased steering effort was required, particularly at lower speeds. In most cases, the malfunction indicator light will display on the instrument panel and a warning chime will sound. The condition is typically self-corrected at the next ignition cycle.

Vehicles Affected Include
2021 Cadillac Escalade
2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2021 Chevrolet Suburban
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021 GMC Yukon
2021 GMC Yukon XL

GM will update the software in the vehicles’ power steering module. Owners will have the opportunity to accept these software changes using wireless over-the-air (OTA) technology without having to bring their vehicle to a dealership. Alternatively, owners may schedule to have the updates performed at a GM dealer. A certain number of vehicles that were part of GM’s captured test fleet will require replacement of the steering gear motor kit in order to receive the updated software.

GM’s number for this recall is N212333900 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-455.

Airbag Warning Light May Not Illuminate In GM Vehicles

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General Motors has decided that a defect relating to vehicle safety exists in certain 2021 model year Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles.

In April 2021, a Problem Resolution and Tracking System (PRTS) issue was opened following validation testing for a future model year vehicles, where it was noted some conditions in which loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM) did not illuminate the airbag malfunction indicator lamp. GM opened an investigation in May 2021. A review of field data showed 19 warranty claims possibly linked to this condition.

According to the defect report, a software problem exists in some of these vehicles which would cause a SDM communications fault to illuminate the airbag malfunction indicator lamp, but only on alternating ignition cycles. As a result, an SDM communications fault would not consistently illuminate the airbag light on every ignition cycle to indicate a problem to the driver.

A driver might not be warned of an SDM loss of communication fault which might indicate a problem with airbag deployment. If airbags do not deploy appropriately in a crash, there is an increased risk of injury.

Description of the Cause : The Communications Gateway Module, also referred to as the serial data gateway module, software does not correctly store data indicating loss of communication with the SDM.

Vehicles Affected Include
2021 Buick Envision
2021 Cadillac CT4
2021 Cadillac CT5
2021 Cadillac Escalade
2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2021 Chevrolet Corvette
2021 Chevrolet Suburban
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021 GMC Yukon
2021 GMC Yukon XL

GM dealers will correct the problem by updating the software for the communications gateway module. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed in July 2021. GM’s number for this recall is N212338110 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-421.

GM Lemon Law Buyback – 2017 Cadillac Escalade

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Our client was very excited when they purchased their new 2017 Cadillac Escalade.

His first visit to the Cadillac dealership was on January 22, 2018 because the passenger running boards were sticking at times.

He was back at the dealership on June 20th to have the running boards looked at again.

The next visit was on November 20th for numerous items which included the passenger side step not always operating, the driver’s side step not working at times, at idle gear there was a roughness to the vehicle like the engine was stumbling and there was a pinging coming from the engine. Other problems were when at a stop the transmission would suddenly lunge forward, when accelerating at lower gears the transmission would lunge into gear, the front brakes were making noise and the USB was not working.

The last visit to the dealership was on January 22, 2019. The complaints were that the brakes were making noise, driver’s side running board would not always work, the passenger side door panel was not secured at the top, the vehicle exhibited a rough idle in gear and you could feel the Escalade shake and the transmission, on acceleration, was jerking and jolting at low gears.

At this point our client called our office to find out if his vehicle might be a lemon. He spoke with California Lemon Law Attorney, Barry L. Edzant. Barry requested he send some documents for review. Soon there after our office was retained and a demand letter was sent to General Motors Corporation to buy back our client’s 2017 Cadillac Escalade under the California Lemon Law.

GMC agreed to repurchase the vehicle which included reimbursing our client for his down payment, all payments made, his registration, pay off the balance minus a mileage fee allowed under the California Lemon Law. They also paid attorney fees.

Our client was very happy with the buyback of his vehicle. If you think your vehicle might be a lemon because of repeat problems that the dealership is unable to fix or the vehicle has been out of service in the hands of an authorized dealership for 30 days or more (the 30 days do not have to be consecutive or for the same problem) please call our office at 888-395-3666 for a free consultation.

2016 Cadillac Escalade Lemon Law Buyback For Repeated Problems

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Our client bought a 2016 Cadillac Escalade and was excited to have their dream vehicle.

The first repair, November 21, 2016, was for a recall on the front airbag.

The next visit was on February 28, 2017. The reason for the visit was because the driver assist message kept coming on.

The Escalade was back at the Cadillac dealership a week later as the driver assist message was still coming on.

It was back the following week on March 16th for the same problem.

On October 2nd at 19,410 miles it was back at the dealership because of poor braking.

On February 9, 2018 our client brought the Escalade in due to the fact that the brakes were making noise.

About 6 months later on August 6th they had to bring the vehicle in because the A/C was not cooling.

The vehicle was towed to the dealer on September 20th because it would not start.

The next day it was back at the dealer because the vehicle was pulling to the right. Also the right side of the Escalade seemed to be sagging.

The vehicle was back at the Cadillac dealership on February 21, 2019 as the brakes were making noise, the cruise control was not working and the Park assist was showing on the DIC.

It was brought back in a few days later because the brakes were making noise.

On April 11th the vehicle was back because the Cruise control was not working again and the Service driver’s system was displaying on the DIC. There was also a problem with the brakes slamming when they would back up the vehicle. The Driver assist was coming up on the DIC. The rear A/C was not blowing cold air. The transmission was jerking when the client would slow down. The TPM light kept coming on and the brakes were making noise again .

At this point the client was frustrated after having given the Cadillac 12 times to try and fix the vehicle. They contacted our office to find out about the California Lemon Law and if their vehicle qualified. They sent some documents for the attorney to review and soon after they signed up with the firm. A demand letter was sent to GMC on their behalf.

Our firm successfully won a full repurchase for our client for their defective vehicle. The manufacturer reimbursed our client for all payments made to date, the down payment, paid off the loan, paid for the registration, less a mileage deduction allowed under the California Lemon Law. GMC also paid all the attorney fees.

If you are having problems with your vehicle, please contact our office, the Law Office of Barry L. Edzant at 888-395-3666. We’ll be happy to answer your questions about your rights under the California Lemon Law.

2019-2020 Chevrolet 6500HD Trucks Software Update For Safety Issue

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General Motors has decided that a software defect exists in certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet 6500HD trucks. These vehicles have been manufactured with tires that have a maximum speed rating of 75mph (regular production option (RPO) codes XDV for the front tires and YAP for the rear tires) and engine control module software that limits the speed of the vehicle to 79 mph.

In December 2020, Navistar, informed GM that vehicles may have been built with maximum speed limitation calibrations that exceed tire maximum speed ratings. A GM engineering manager reported the issue to GM’s Speak Up For Safety (SUFS) program and preliminary information was collected regarding the issue. GM opened an investigation in February 2021, confirmed the speed limiting software in the ECM and the body control module (BCM) would allow vehicles to reach 79 mph, exceeding the 75 mph maximum speed rating of the tires. In May 2021, GM’s Safety and Field Action Decision Authority (SFADA) decided to conduct a safety recall.

Owners receiving notification letters will be asked to return to their dealers to have the software calibration for the engine control module (ECM) set to limit the vehicles speed so it will not exceed the speed rating of the tires. GM’s number for this recall is N202325530 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-346.

GM Software To Prevent EV Battery Fires

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General Motors will be contacting owners of select 2017-2019 model year Chevrolet Bolt EVs previously repaired under National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) campaign number 20V-701.

The problem began in October 2020 when the NHTSA started an investigation into owner complaints of battery fires while their Bolt EV was charging. To reduce the risk of fires, GM provided a temporary fix in which the the vehicle’s software was updated to limit it’s charge to 90% of the battery’s capacity.

As part of the final repair, dealers will use diagnostic tools to identify potential battery anomalies and replace battery module assemblies as necessary. The fix will also include the installation of advanced onboard diagnostic software that detects potential issues related to changes in battery module performance. Customers will need to visit their Chevrolet EV dealer to have the service procedure performed. Once the remedy procedure is completed, the dealer will remove the 90% state of charge limitation and return the battery to its previous 100% charging capability.

Customers of 2019 model year Chevrolet Bolt EVs will be able to have this fix performed starting on April 29 and customers who own 2017 and 2018 model year Bolt EVs will be eligible to have the remedy performed by the end of May. GM will be making this diagnostic software standard in the 2022 Bolt EV and EUV future electric vehicles. According to GM, if a problem is diagnosed, the software will warn the driver with an illuminated warning lamp on the gauge cluster and drivers would need to have the vehicle towed to a dealer for repairs.