Not exactly focused on build quality and reliability, the biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit has issued a recall for improperly bonded windshields. More specifically, suspect windshields may have been assembled to certain examples of the 2023 model year GMC Acadia, Cadillac XT5, and larger XT6 without the proper urethane sealant.
A quality manager submitted this concern to General Motors through Speak Up For Safety on August 9, a program that General Motors launched bang in the middle of the ignition switch fiasco back in 2014. Said quality manager became aware of a customer-filed complaint alleging a windshield leak on a brand-new Acadia. Come August 15, the automaker started investigating, only to determine that its build quality leaves much to be desired.
As per the report attached below, assembly plant workers at Spring Hill Manufacturing in Tennessee built vehicles without urethane sealing during a shift on June 10. The question is, how come not a single worker signaled the missing urethane sealing to any of their superiors? Also worth asking, how come said vehicles passed end-of-line quality control?
General Motors being its usual self, alright! GM is aware of a single relevant field incident and 42 potentially affected vehicles produced for the United States market. Said vehicles are split between 25 examples of the 2023 model year GMC Acadia, 8 units of the Cadillac XT5, and 9 copies of the XT6 family-sized crossover utility vehicle.
In addition to water leaking into the cabin and excessive wind noise, an improperly bonded windshield increases the risk of injury to the occupants in a crash. Care to guess what actually happened on June 10 at the assembly plant?
Photo: Cadillac
The report below reads that a urethane pump hose somehow became disconnected, therefore no longer dispensing the super-sticky adhesive required to bond the windshield to the body. Dealers have already been informed to inspect and – if needed – to apply primer and urethane. If the windshield is damaged, service techs are required to replace it.
Owners will be informed via first-class mail about GM’s blunder next month. The mailed envelopes should arrive no later than November 27.
Of the three vehicles mentioned above, only the Acadia received a thorough redesign for the 2024 model year. Unleashed at the 2023 North American International Auto Show in Detroit Motor City, the Acadia shares the C1XX-2 platform with the newly refreshed Chevrolet Traverse. Both rely on a 2.5-liter turbo I4 and an eight-speed automatic.
The full-size crossovers will be produced at Lansing Delta Township Assembly in Michigan rather than Spring Hill Manufacturing in Tennessee. Pricing, however, isn’t available at the moment of reporting. The Cadillac XT6 and XT6, on the other hand, will set you back at least $43,895 and $48,795.
Both ride on the C1XX platform. Whereas the XT5 comes standard with a 2.0-liter turbo I4, the XT6 is exclusively offered with a 3.6-liter V6 of the naturally-aspirated variety. Said engine is optional in the XT5. Regardless of powertrain, the Cadillac siblings share a nine-speed transmission.
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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