When it comes to vehicle safety, every component plays a crucial role in ensuring a smooth and secure ride. Recently, General Motors (GM) discovered a potential issue with improperly heat-treated suspension bolts in select Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles. This problem, if left unaddressed, could lead to serious safety concerns, including misaligned rear wheels and an increased risk of accidents.

In August 2023, a plant quality manager at GM’s Arlington, TX assembly plant uncovered a concerning issue. They identified that as many as 223 vehicles may have received improperly heat-treated bolts during the manufacturing process. Unfortunately, these vehicles were not contained at the plant, which raised alarm bells. Of the affected vehicles, 189 were located in the United States.

In response to this discovery, GM initiated a comprehensive investigation into the issue. Extensive testing and analysis were conducted to determine the potential consequences of these improperly heat-treated bolts. What they found was alarming: in the event of a control arm separation, there was a distinct possibility of rear wheel misalignment that could adversely affect the vehicle’s handling.

It is worth noting that, up to this point, GM had not received any reports of field incidents related to this condition. Recognizing the potential risks associated with the improperly heat-treated suspension bolts, GM’s Safety Field Action Decision Authority (SFADA) made a decision in September to conduct a safety recall to address the issue.

The vehicles affected by this recall include the following 2023 models:

  • Cadillac Escalade
  • Cadillac Escalade ESV
  • Chevrolet Suburban
  • Chevrolet Tahoe
  • GMC Yukon
  • GMC Yukon XL

If you own one of the aforementioned vehicles and receive a recall notice, it is crucial to act promptly. GM will ask you to return to your authorized dealer to have both rear suspension outer control arm bolts replaced. This proactive step is vital to ensure your safety and the proper functioning of your vehicle. To facilitate this process, GM has assigned a unique recall number for this issue, N232415910, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has assigned the campaign number 23V-642.

In most cases, the Cadillac CTS is a reliable vehicle, but over the years there has been a pattern of problems that owners have been dealing with. Below are some common problems affecting GMs’ Cadillac CTS vehicles:

Cadillac CTS Dash Cluster Problems

In February 2022, a class-action lawsuit was filed against General Motors over issues with its Cadillac User Experience (CUE) system. This lawsuit was originally filed against GM in the U.S. District for Southern California back in 2019 by owners of Cadillac vehicles equipped with its CUE infotainment system. Plaintiffs alleged cars equipped with Cadillac CUE have touchscreens that are prone to delaminating and cracking, making them impossible to use.

Other Cadillac CTS Dash Cluster Problems Include:

  • Dash Cluster Is Completely Dead
  • Dashboard / Speedometer Lights Continually Blinking
  • Gauges Become “Stuck”
  • “Starting Disabled Remove Key” Warnings

Cadillac CTS Rear Differential Problems

Over the years, the Cadillac CTS model has received many complaints about differential problems. They have recently been recalled for roll pins in the rear-axle differential that could fatigue and crack. If these pins break while the vehicle is driven, it could cause the rear to lock up, creating a dangerous driving situation. Other differential problems include a rear axle pinion seal that could experience a fluid leak. If the fluid leaks low enough, a lack of lubrication could lead to increased differential noise and eventual failure.

Symptoms Of A Bad Rear CTS Differential

  • Vibrations that increase in intensity as you speed up.
  • Grinding Gears
  • Whining Noises
  • Metal Shavings In Differential Fluid

Cadillac CTS Check Engine Light Flashes

When your Cadillac CTS “Check Engine Light” goes on, you don’t immediately stop your vehicle and turn off the engine, unless you are experiencing engine performance issues such as poor acceleration or rough idling. The engine light warning could be a minor issue or it could mean something more serious. For most Cadillac CTS owners, it means a trip to the car dealership to investigate the issue and get the light turned off.

Common Cadillac CTS Check Engine Light Problems include:

  • Faulty Steering Wheel Position Sensor
  • Loose Or Damaged Gas Cap
  • Faulty Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor
  • Oxygen Sensor Failure
  • Catalytic Converter Failure
  • EVAP (Evaporated Emission Control System) Leak
  • EGR Exhaust Gas Re-circulation Valve Failure
  • Dirty Spark Plugs Or Damaged Spark Plug Wires
  • Vacuum Leak

If your vehicle is experiencing repeated problems it could be a Lemon. Know your Lemon Law Rights. If you have any questions about your rights and the California Lemon Law, please call our office at 1-888-395-3666 and get some great Lemon Law advice!

Our firm has 30 years of experience in dealing with nearly every kind of manufacturer of motor vehicles and have represented thousands of clients throughout the state of California. When we submit a demand on your behalf, the manufacturer is more likely to respect the legitimacy of your claim and our long experience in handling such matters.

General Motors (GM) will be contacting the owners of certain 2021-2022 Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC SUVs equipped with third-row seating. These vehicles may have been manufactured with an improperly formed mounting bracket rivet that may not restrain an occupant during an accident.

The vehicles affected by this problem include:

2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade
2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2021-2022 Chevrolet Suburban
2021-2022 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021-2022 GMC Yukon
2021-2022 GMC Yukon XL

In May 2022, a GM dealership received a customer complaint about the separation of the third row seat belt assemblies in their 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The problem was submitted to GM’s Speak Up For Safety program and a formal investigation was opened. During this investigation, another seven additional field reports were found that could be related to this condition. Further investigation into the problem determined that operators at the seat belt buckle assembly supplier’s manufacturing plant may have not properly followed manufacturing processes and as a result, may have missed the rivet forming operation. In July, GM’s investigator met with the seat belt buckle assembly supplier to determine the scope of potentially affected parts. On August 4, 2022, GM’s Safety Field Action Decision Authority (SFADA) decided to conduct a safety recall.

According to the defect report, the rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left and/or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may not have been properly formed during the manufacturing process. If the assembly is not properly riveted, it will not restrain occupants during an accident and could result in increased injuries.

Owners receiving recall notices will be asked to return to their GM dealer to have the rivet head formation on both the left and right side third-row seat belt buckle assemblies inspected and replace seat belt buckle assemblies, as necessary. GM’s number for this recall is N222372380 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-617.

 Automotive Defect Investigation
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE21-010) to investigate complaints of malfunctions with the driver frontal air bags in certain Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles.

The ODI has received fifteen consumer complaints about certain vehicles experiencing an airbag warning light illumination and/or a failure of the airbag to deploy during an accident with significant frontal damage. Nine of the consumer complaints say the air bag malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) was illuminated and six of the incidents had significant frontal damage with failure to deploy the airbags.

A TSB, issued in March 2021, addresses air bag MIL illumination accompanied by diagnostic trouble codes B0001-1B or B0012-0D. It also reports rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver airbag inflator as the cause of the airbag MIL illumination. Illumination of the airbag MIL under these circumstances may result in a non-deployment of the driver’s airbag during a frontal collision and increased risk of injury to the driver.

The vehicles under investigation include:

2020-2021 Cadillac CT4
2020-2021 Cadillac CT5
2020-2021 Cadillac Escalade
2020-2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2020-2021 Cadillac XT5
2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 4500HD
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 5500HD
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 6500HD
2020-2021 Chevrolet Suburban
2021 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
2020-2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2020-2021 GMC Sierra 1500
2020-2021 GMC Sierra 2500
2020-2021 GMC Sierra 3500
2020 GMC Sierra Denali
2020-2021 GMC Yukon
2020-2021 GMC Yukon XL

ODI have opened this preliminary investigation to determine the scope and severity of the potential problem and to fully assess the potential safety-related issues. If the investigation results in a recall, an estimated 749,312 vehicles could be affected.

General Motors (GM) has decided that a safety defect affecting suspension exists in certain 2022 Cadillac XT5, 2022 Cadillac XT6, and 2022 GMC Acadia vehicles. Owners will be receiving notices with instructions to return to their Cadillac or GMC dealer to have the suspension in their vehicle inspected and repaired as necessary.

GM became aware of the problem in March 2022, after a quality engineer at one of GM’s assembly plants identified a Cadillac XT6 that was missing a toe link to a knuckle bolt in the vehicle’s left side rear suspension. The manufacturing records showed that the bolt had been fully tightened, but further investigation found that the supplier’s error-proofing equipment had been improperly configured following a change in the assembly process. As a result, the tool operator could have failed to fully tighten the bolt without the error-proofing equipment detecting it.

According to the defect report, after an assembly process was moved to a new area, error-proofing equipment was not initially set up properly. This allowed a window where the operator may miss tightening certain fasteners without the failure being flagged. The affected toe links may be loose or become separated, resulting in misalignment of the left-rear wheel and increasing the risk of a crash

GM investigated the potentially affected population and inspected 271 suspensions that had been contained at the plant, with six more instances of loose fasteners identified. Although GM have not received any claims or complaints related to the subject condition and they are not aware of any associated accidents or injuries but have decided to conduct a safety recall.

Dealers will inspect the left-rear suspension and replace the fastener if it is loose or missing. GM’s number for this recall is N222364330 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-427. Approximately 736 vehicles may be affected.

General Motors (GM) will be providing owners of certain 2016-2017 Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC trucks additional warranty coverage because of a problem that could affect the fuel injectors in their engines. The trucks receiving additional warranty are equipped with 5.3L or 6.2L engines.

Vehicles manufactured with these defective fuel injectors include:
2016-2017 Cadillac Escalade
2016-2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado
2016-2017 Chevrolet Suburban
2016-2017 Chevrolet Tahoe
2016-2017 GMC Sierra
2016-2017 GMC Yukon
2016-2017 GMC Yukon XL

** GM will notify customers if this special warranty coverage is on their vehicle.**

The special coverage will extend the warranty of the above vehicles, for a period of 10 years or 150,000 miles (240,000km), whichever occurs first, from the date the vehicle was originally purchased, regardless of ownership. This special coverage only applies to vehicles in these states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

According to documents released by GM, “Under certain circumstances, one or more of the vehicle’s fuel injectors may deliver an improper amount of fuel to the engine. If this happens, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (the Check Engine Light) will illuminate to warn the driver there is a problem. The engine will begin to run rough and will eventually stall. Diagnostic trouble codes, including P0300-P0308 or DTC P050D, will be set.

Other symptoms of a bad or dirty fuel injector include: The vehicle is hard to start and idles rough; Poor performance and increased fuel consumption; and an engine knock or detonation that could lead to complete engine failure.

The rear-wheel driveshaft assemblies on certain 2021 Cadillac, 2021 Chevrolet and 2021 GMC SUV trucks could fail and cause an increased chance of an accident. GM will be contacting owners and asking them to return to their dealership for repairs.

In October 2021, GM’s supplier of rear-wheel drive-shaft assemblies informed them that certain assemblies shipped to GM’s Arlington, Texas plant may have been manufactured improperly. GM opened an investigation and found that the suspect components could deform over time and result in drive shaft seizures.

According to the defect report, the rear-wheel drive-shaft assemblies may have been manufactured with recirculating balls that were not properly heat treated. The recirculating balls could deform over time, resulting in noise and vibration. If the vehicle continues to be driven, the affected joint in the drive shaft assembly could seize and the vehicle could lose propulsion.

Vehicles manufactured with these defective driveshafts assemblies include:
2021 Cadillac Escalade
2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2021 Chevrolet Suburban
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021 GMC Yukon
2021 GMC Yukon XL

The supplier’s equipment failure was corrected on June 4, 2021 and components produced after that time were properly heat treated. Vehicles produced after October 4, 2021, were equipped with drive shaft assemblies containing components that were produced outside of the suspect window.

Owners will be asked to return to their dealers to have the left and/or right rear driveshaft assemblies replaced. GM’s number for this recall is N212351030, N212351031 and N212351032. The NHTSA campaign number is 22V-036. Customer interim notifications are estimated to be sent out on March 14, 2022.

Don’t live with a Lemon. If you are having problems with your vehicle and have questions about your rights and the California Lemon Law, please call our office at 888-395-3666.

In July 2021 General Motors (GM) opened an investigation into fuel pump failures after a review of warranty data from certain 2021 GM full size SUVs. The data showed that there was a higher than expected rate of fuel pump control modules replaced for vehicles built within certain months. As part of the investigation, GM looked at the returned parts replaced in warranty claims and found the condition was caused by a manufacturing issue at the Tier 3 supplier.

According to the defect report, certain 2021 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC full size SUVs may have been manufactured with fuel pump power control modules which contain a defect that can cause the fuel pump to fail or operate intermittently. When this happens, fuel flow to the engine will be interrupted and the vehicle could unexpectedly stall.

The Vehicles Affected Include:
2021 Cadillac Escalade
2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2021 Chevrolet Suburban
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021 GMC Yukon
2021 GMC Yukon XL

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their dealers to have the fuel pump power control module replaced. GM’s number for this recall is N212332040 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-739.