December 16, 2021 Update – General Motors (NYSE:GM) has remedied issues with 524,144 models dealing with a software error that can cause unintended braking. Additionally, 2,577 models including the 2020 Tahoe and the 2020 Yukon have been categorized as unreachable, and 26 models have been removed from the recall. These models were remedied in 3 different years, the first group in 2019, four groups in 2020, and two more were fixed in 2021 by these incorrect calibrations in the EBCM which has also presented other software errors in many other GM models.

Laguna Hills, CA. – November 1, 2019 – General Motors recently informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of a recall involving five different vehicle models including the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, all of which share the same defect.

Affected vehicles include:

• 2015 – 2020 Chevrolet Suburban
• 2015 – 2020 Tahoe
• 2015 -2020 Yukon
• 2014 – 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive

The defect

According to the official report regarding this issue filed by GM with the NHTSA, the vehicles involved in the recall contain a defect caused by incorrect axle-ratio calibrations in the vehicles’ electronic-brake control module (EBCM).

The flaw can cause the module to incorrectly calculate the speed of a wheel that has a faulted wheel-speed sensor. In specific operating conditions and vehicles, this can trigger the vehicle’s driveline protection system at an inopportune time.

“If a wheel speed sensor fails in these vehicles, a software error in the vehicle’s EBCM can cause the vehicle’s driveline protection system to activate when (i) the vehicle’s electronic transfer case is set to four-wheel drive or automatic mode, and (ii) the vehicle is driven between the speeds of 41 and 60 MPH,” stated GM’s report on the matter.

“If the [system] activates, the driver will experience unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, which can be considered as one of the many failures that increase the risk of collision in different brands and models.”

Timeline of events

The first report involving the recall arrived May 21, when a GM dealer submitted a warranty report to the manufacturer involving a 2018 GMC Yukon whose owner reported that, while driving between 40 and 45 MPH, the brakes were involuntarily applied and caused the vehicle to pull leftward.

A test of the vehicle confirmed the report, and further investigations revealed all the vehicles which might contain the defect.

“GM and ZF (the EBCM supplier) isolated the condition to certain K2 platform vehicles equipped with 5.3-liter engines, four-wheel drive, and 3.08-ratio rear axles, and to specific operating conditions,”

the chronology report provided by GM explained.

The decision to conduct the recall was made official on Oct. 17. 

The solution

Owners of vehicles involved in the recall will be notified sometime in the near future, although the exact schedule has yet to be set. Authorized dealers will reprogram the EBCM for affected automobiles on behalf of GM, free of charge.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 650,000 vehicles are included in this GM recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.