GM expands axle pin recall to include more pickups, SUVs

It would seem that General Motors has discovered that the defective axle cross pins responsible for a recent recall were installed in more vehicles than originally thought. The automaker has expanded the recall to cover a total of 26,751 vehicles, up from the 1,262 units in the original notice. As of right now, certain 2011 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Avalanche, Colorado, Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe models as well as GMC Canyon, Sierra and Yukon models are included in the newest recall.

As with before, the vehicles were built with rear axle cross pins that may not have been heat treated. As a result, the pieces could fracture and move out of position. If this happens, the defect could actually cause the rear axle to lock up while driving. Needless to say, the problem could easily cause an accident.

GM will replace the pins free of charge, though the recall isn't scheduled to get underway until January 25. The company says that while one owner did experience a loss of power to the rear axle as a result of the defect, no accidents have been reported. Hit the jump to take a look at the full recall notice.

[Source: NHTSA]

Vehicle Make / Model:

Model Year(s):
CADILLAC / ESCALADE

2011
CADILLAC / ESCALADE ESV 1500

2011
CADILLAC / ESCALADE EXT 1500

2011
CHEVROLET / AVALANCHE 1500

2011
CHEVROLET / COLORADO

2011
CHEVROLET / SILVERADO 1500

2011
CHEVROLET / SUBURBAN 1500

2011
CHEVROLET / TAHOE

2011
GMC / CANYON

2011
GMC / SIERRA 1500

2011
GMC / YUKON

2011
GMC / YUKON XL 1500

2011

Manufacturer: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Mfr's Report Date: JAN 06, 2011

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 11V007000
N/A
NHTSA Action Number: N/A

Component: SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:SPINDLE Potential Number of Units Affected: 26,751

Summary:
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, COLORADO, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; AND GMC CANYON, SIERRA, YUKON AND YUKON XL VEHICLES. THE REAR AXLE CROSS PINS WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND COULD FRACTURE AND BECOME DISPLACED WITHIN THE REAR AXLE. SHOULD THE PIN SHIFT OUT OF POSITION, IT COULD CREATE AN INTERFERENCE CONDITION AND CAUSE THE REAR AXLE TO LOCK.

Consequence:
THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW REAR AXLE CROSS PIN FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 25, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Notes:
THIS RECALL CAMPAIGN IS AN EXPANSION TO 10V-643. GM'S SAFETY RECALL NO. 10426A. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .