NHTSA Opens Probe Into Nearly 878,000 GM Vehicles Over Engine Failure Concerns Days After Closing Investigation Into Its Cruise AVs

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Wednesday that it has opened a probe into about 878,000 General Motors Co. GM vehicles equipped with the L87 V8 engine over engine failure concerns.

What Happened: The auto safety regulator stated that it had received 39 complaints and several field reports alleging engine failures in these vehicles. The complainants reported being unable to detect the issue before the engine failed.

Failure or malfunctioning of the engine may increase the risk of a crash, the regulator noted.

The probe includes 2019-2024 Model Year (MY) Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade
vehicles.

The probe is aimed at determining the scope and severity of the potential problem and to asses potential safety-related issues, NHTSA said.

Why It Matters: The new probe comes merely days after NHTSA closed its probe into GM’s Cruise robotaxis in light of the company ceasing business operations. The NHTSA commenced the probe into Cruise robotaxis in October 2023 to gauge whether they are exercising caution around pedestrians following reports of two crashes.

The regulator, on Wednesday, closed the probe in light of a recall action taken by Cruise. The company has also since stopped business operations and no versions of its automated driving system are operating on public roads, the regulator noted.

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