Photo: Chevrolet
Fresh from calling back 410,000 units of the Silverado and Sierra because of airbags that may explode without notice, GM has announced yet another safety campaign. On this occasion, an electrical short circuit is the culprit.
The chronology of events dates back to February 3rd when a quality manager submitted a report after inspecting a block heater from a 2019 model year Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The owner of that heavy-duty pickup reported sparking from under the hood after the engine block heater was plugged in.
In addition to sparks, the engineer has also observed thermal damage at the connection between the heater and power cable although the vehicle has been previously recalled for this condition. In other words, the previous fix for short circuits did not work despite GM’s guarantee that it would work.
After completing a thorough analysis of the available data, General Motors found 122 related complaints and 24 reports of potential fires related to this problem. The most recent event took place on May 28th, 2021 according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
No fewer than 331,274 units of the Silverado and Sierra from the 2500 and 3500 series are called back, 2017 to 2019 models that feature the L5P turbo diesel V8 engine and the factory-issue optional block heater. The codename for the engine heater’s power cord is K05 according to General Motors, and the supplying company is Electronics Components International of Canada.
Somewhat unsurprising for GM, the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit doesn’t have a fix for this condition at the moment of writing. Until a remedy is developed, customers are recommended to disable this feature out of an abundance of caution. While on the subject of customers, known owners will be informed of the callback on August 16th by first-class mail.
Redesigned for the 2020 model year, the Silverado HD currently retails from $35,300 excluding destination charge for the 2500 with the regular cab, long bed, rear-wheel drive, and 6.6-liter gasoline V8. Over at GMC, the Sierra 2500 HD starts at $36,200 for the most Spartan of configurations.
In addition to sparks, the engineer has also observed thermal damage at the connection between the heater and power cable although the vehicle has been previously recalled for this condition. In other words, the previous fix for short circuits did not work despite GM’s guarantee that it would work.
After completing a thorough analysis of the available data, General Motors found 122 related complaints and 24 reports of potential fires related to this problem. The most recent event took place on May 28th, 2021 according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
No fewer than 331,274 units of the Silverado and Sierra from the 2500 and 3500 series are called back, 2017 to 2019 models that feature the L5P turbo diesel V8 engine and the factory-issue optional block heater. The codename for the engine heater’s power cord is K05 according to General Motors, and the supplying company is Electronics Components International of Canada.
Somewhat unsurprising for GM, the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit doesn’t have a fix for this condition at the moment of writing. Until a remedy is developed, customers are recommended to disable this feature out of an abundance of caution. While on the subject of customers, known owners will be informed of the callback on August 16th by first-class mail.
Redesigned for the 2020 model year, the Silverado HD currently retails from $35,300 excluding destination charge for the 2500 with the regular cab, long bed, rear-wheel drive, and 6.6-liter gasoline V8. Over at GMC, the Sierra 2500 HD starts at $36,200 for the most Spartan of configurations.
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