2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV production kicked off last year, with General Motors delivering a grand total of 443 units last year. As if the slow production rate wasn't bad enough, the Silverado EV is currently limited to commercial and fleet customers in one specification, that grade being the WT.
Worse still for GM's first zero-emission Chevrolet Silverado, the full-size pickup truck has been hit with a new recall. Back in November 2024, the Detroit-based automaker issued a recall for three units over seatbelt buckle attachment bolts that may not have been tightened properly by the supplier.
Filed with the NHTSA on February 8 this year, campaign 24V-087 comprises 352 examples of the breed with production dates ranging between February 23, 2023 and November 14, 2023. According to the report attached below, an incorrect seatbelt bezel may damage or tear the second-row center position seatbelt in the event of a crash.
How did it come to this? On November 13 last year, a General Motors engineer submitted this issue to GM through the Speak Up For Safety program. Said engineer determined that the incorrect bezel was distributed to the assembly line that installs this part on the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV WT.
An investigation was opened on November 28, 2023. General Motors performed a series of sled tests, which showed that heavy loading may damage or tear the seatbelt. General Motors performed the sled tests with a 95th percentile male test dummy in a 35-mph frontal crash. 95th percentile male stands for just around 100 kilograms (220 pounds), while 35 miles per hour means 56 kilometers per hour.
Photo: Chevrolet
Given these circumstances, the Safety Field Action Decision Authority didn't have a choice but to file a safety recall with the federal watchdog. Containment was implemented at Factory Zero assembly plant (previously Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly) on November 13, 2023. GM says that the correct bezel is designed to disengage under heavy loads to prevent the bunching of the seatbelt.
Obviously enough, the remedy comes in the form of replacement bezels. Dealers have already been informed to replace the incorrect bezels, yet GM didn't mention whether these parts are currently in stock or not. Owners will be notified by General Motors via mail on or about March 25, 2024.
Twinned with the Hummer EV pickup truck, but not as proficient as the Hummer EV off the beaten path, the Silverado EV premiered in January 2022 with 664 horsepower to its name. Chevy revised the maximum output of the Silverado EV RST to 754 horsepower after GMC revealed the Sierra EV Denali. Both are good for 785 pound-feet (1,064 Nm) at full chatter.
When it comes to driving range, the EPA estimates 450 miles (724 kilometers) from a full charge of the 200-kWh battery of the Silverado EV 4WT. Regarding capability, the zero-emission truck can tow up to 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) and haul up to 1,440 pounds (653 kilograms). By comparison, the Silverado 1500 promises 13,300 and 2,260 lbs (6,033 and 1,025 kgs), respectively.
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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