Human error led the motors in the back of 10 EVs not to receive enough insulating varnish, leading to a safety concern
3 hours ago
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- GM is recalling three Lyriqs, three Blazers, two Silverados, one Hummer, and a Sierra EV in the U.S.
- The vehicles are equipped with rear motors that were not adequately insulated and could shut down unexpectedly as a result.
- The automaker plans to reach out to owners on June 24, and will replace their rear drive units free of charge.
General Motors’ fancy new Ultium electric vehicle platform has provided it with no shortage of difficulties, and the latest may cause its vehicles to lose power on the street. Fortunately, the problem is limited to just 10 examples across the United States.
The automaker is recalling three Cadillac Lyriqs, three Chevrolet Blazer EVs, two Chevrolet Silverados, one GMC Hummer, and one GMC Sierra EV, all from the 2024 model year, over a wiring issue in their rear drive units.
Read: Kia Niro EV And EV9 May Lose Power While Driving
The fault first came to GM’s attention on April 11, when a quality engineer submitted an issue to its Speak Up for Safety program after noticing that a motor had not been sufficiently insulated by a line operator at supplier LG-Magna’s plant.
The automaker opened a product investigation five days later, and confirmed that some of the assemblies within the rear drive units on these vehicles had not received enough insulating varnish. That could allow the wires to touch, causing the motor to shut down without warning.
If that happens, the vehicle that the drive unit is powering could lose motive power, increasing the odds that it will be rear ended. Naturally, that’s a safety concern, and on May 2, GM decided that a recall was necessary. Luckily, the automaker is not yet aware of any warranty reports, accidents, injuries, or deaths relating to this problem.
Since the issue affects just 10 vehicles in the U.S., it should be relatively easy to fix. GM will reach out to owners starting on June 24, and will ask them to return their vehicle to a nearby dealer. There, the rear motor will be replaced with a unit that was adequately varnished, at no cost to the owner.
