Photo: Chevrolet
Even though disc brakes have been used in production cars since the 1955 Citroen DS, some manufacturers don’t understand the dos and don’ts of a braking system in 2018. According to a government filing from General Motors, 230,000 vehicles from the 2018 and 2019 model years are being recalled over improper chroming and tempering of the brake pistons.
From the document, we’re told by the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit that "hydrogen gas can remain trapped in the piston body" in certain situations. Because density isn’t the strongest point of hydrogen, the gas makes the brake pedal feel soft, translating to an increased risk of a crash.
The “soft or spongy feel” when pressing the pedal affects the rear-brake performance according to General Motors. On the other hand, it should be mentioned the brake pistons are manufactured by a third party, not the automaker per se.
ZF was investigating similar reports on its brake pistons from BMW, Volkswagen, and Audi, but the manufacturer didn’t notify General Motors about the problem until June 14th, 2018. Intentional mess-up or not, recalling 230,000 vehicles will cost both parties time and money.
More curiously, the safety defect report published by ZF in July didn’t list General Motors as a purchaser of the brake calipers with the faulty pistons. So how do customers get around this problem? Hop in the car, drive to the nearest dealership, and bleed the rear brakes to remove the hydrogen from the system altogether. That’s all, and on the upside, General Motors isn’t aware of any incidents related to this issue.
Vehicles affected include the Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Bolt, Volt, Cruze, Equinox, Malibu, Impala, Cadillac XTS, and GMC Terrain. If you own any of these nameplates, do get in touch with your dealer for more information on this recall.
The problem stemming from the ZF Group also led Mercedes-Benz to recall the 2018 GLE and GLS sport utility vehicles. The Canadian division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles called back 19,000 automobiles over the exact same issue in mid-August.
The “soft or spongy feel” when pressing the pedal affects the rear-brake performance according to General Motors. On the other hand, it should be mentioned the brake pistons are manufactured by a third party, not the automaker per se.
ZF was investigating similar reports on its brake pistons from BMW, Volkswagen, and Audi, but the manufacturer didn’t notify General Motors about the problem until June 14th, 2018. Intentional mess-up or not, recalling 230,000 vehicles will cost both parties time and money.
More curiously, the safety defect report published by ZF in July didn’t list General Motors as a purchaser of the brake calipers with the faulty pistons. So how do customers get around this problem? Hop in the car, drive to the nearest dealership, and bleed the rear brakes to remove the hydrogen from the system altogether. That’s all, and on the upside, General Motors isn’t aware of any incidents related to this issue.
Vehicles affected include the Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Bolt, Volt, Cruze, Equinox, Malibu, Impala, Cadillac XTS, and GMC Terrain. If you own any of these nameplates, do get in touch with your dealer for more information on this recall.
The problem stemming from the ZF Group also led Mercedes-Benz to recall the 2018 GLE and GLS sport utility vehicles. The Canadian division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles called back 19,000 automobiles over the exact same issue in mid-August.
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