Following multiple reports of software quality issues, General Motors temporarily suspended Chevrolet Blazer EV sales in the United States market, assuring owners and customers that remedy software is under development. As if that wasn't bad enough for such an important new product, General Motors also identified a hardware-related issue affecting the all-electric sibling of the combustion-engined Blazer.
That's not all, though. As per a document published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, the combustion-engined Blazer is also affected, along with the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. 265 crossovers may have been assembled with door strikers that may fracture.
Not a biggie, right? Turns out it's quite a big issue because fractured strikers may result in the doors opening unexpectedly while driving or in the event of a crash, therefore increasing the risk of injury. The Detroit-based automaker became aware of this condition on November 6th via a report filed via the Speak Up For Safety program by a quality engineer.
Said report alleged that a door striker fractured during side door adjustment on a 2024 model year Chevrolet Equinox at the San Lusi Potosi assembly plant in Mexico. Further investigation revealed three strikers that had fractured during side door adjustment and one other striker that exhibited a fracture prior to installation. This, in turn, prompted the American automaker to open an investigation on November 9th.
As fate would have it, General Motors determined that Czech Republic-based Brano Group A.S. – the supplier of the fracturing door strikers – may have supplied the automaker with improperly heat-treated strikers. General Motors isn't aware of any field incidents related to the aforementioned condition.
Photo: Chevrolet
Containment efforts were implemented on December 1 at both San Luis Potosi and the Ramos Arizpe assembly plants. Chevrolet and GMC dealers have been instructed to replace the suspect door strikers with properly heat-treated ones. Of course, the attaching bolts will be replaced as well. Known owners will be informed about this recall by General Motors via first-class mail no later than February 6.
The part number for the side door striker assembly is 13557655, whereas suspect vehicles were manufactured between September 13 and November 13. Of the 265 grand total, the Equinox is recalled to the tune of 201 units. The Terrain is listed with 62 units, whereas the remaining two vehicles are split between one unit of the Blazer and one Blazer EV.
At the moment of reporting, the Equinox is available to configure as a 2024 model at $26,600 sans delivery fee. The better equipped Terrain starts at $28,700, whereas the mid-sized Blazer is $35,400 from the outset. Not worthy of its nameplate, the modern-day Blazer is yet another dull crossover rather than a body-on-frame SUV in the same vein as the sixth-gen Ford Bronco and JL-gen Jeep Wrangler.
The Blazer EV doesn't have anything in common with its overlanding predecessor either, save for the Golden Bowtie and Blazer name. Based on the BEV3 platform of the Cadillac Lyriq rather than the BT1 platform of the GMC Hummer EV, the Blazer EV is also considered a mid-size crossover. The most affordable specification of the lot as of January 2024 is the RS at $60,215. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates up to 324 miles (521 kilometers) of driving range for the RS with rear-wheel drive.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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