General Motors has announced a recall of 1,262 2011 model year light duty trucks from Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet due to a concern over the reliability of an improperly manufactured cross pin in the rear axle assembly.
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In the 2011 model year Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Silverado (light duty) and GMC Sierra (light duty) units affected by the latest GM recall, the cross pin in the rear axle assembly may have been improperly heat treated during manufacturing. Because of that manufacturing flaw, the metal is more prone to crack and fail and when it does, the floating metal in the rear axle assembly could cause the rear wheels to lock up.
When the pin failure occurs, there will generally be a banging noise as the different components in the rear end begin to work their way loose but in this type of situation, there will often be no early warning to a problem. Once the metal from the broken pin works its way into the internal workings of the rear differential, binding up due to interference grows more and more likely as you continue to move. Needless to say, if you were driving down the road and suddenly one or both of the rear wheels locked up, the odds of an accident would be greatly increased as the truck would become much more difficult to control – especially at higher speed.
This Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC recall is expected to officially begin sometime in January 2011, at which point owners will be instructed to return to their local GM dealership where that faulty cross pin will be removed and replaced. This service will be free of charge to the customer and should the issue be caught without the pin breaking, this seems like a fairly straightforward repair so it should not be a particularly lengthy dealership visit.
Other General Motors News:
GM reveals GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept prior to 2011 NAIAS
GM purchases $2.1 billion of GM stock from the federal government
GMC donates Super Bowl tickets to the United Way
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