It can be hard to keep track of all the safety recalls involving vehicles these days. Yet every safety recall is extremely important, as many involve issues that could cause a crash. In a very real way, safety recalls can be a matter of life and death.
Recently, Chevrolet and Buick recalled some sedans and GM recalled some SUVs because of a risk of fire and power loss. This is due to a faulty part that allows an oil leak. Luckily, there have not yet been any reports of crashes or injuries.
The problem is that bolts may be loose or missing on the vehicle’s accumulator. This is part of the auto start-stop system, which turns off the engine instead of allowing it to idle for too long. A software error allowed some accumulators to leave the factory in this condition. Either loose or missing bolts could lead to an oil leak in the transmission.
The defect mainly affects Chevy and Buick sedans, but the part supplier is at the center of this recall, so some other vehicles were also affected. The supplier says that their software has now been updated.
If your car is included in the recall, take it to your dealer for a free inspection and repair.
These are the vehicles affected:
- Chevy Cruze sedans and hatchbacks built between Jan. 16, 2018 and March 26, 2019
- Chevy Malibu sedans built between Jan. 26, 2018 and Sept. 20, 2018
- Buick LaCrosse sedans built between Jan. 11, 2018 and Jan. 24, 2019
- Chevy Equinox SUVs built between March 21, 2018 and March 4, 2020
- GMC Terrain SUVs built between March 4, 2018 and Jan. 31, 2020
- Chevrolet Traverse SUVs built between April 9, 2018 and July 18, 2020
- Chevy Blazer SUVs built between Jan. 21, 2019 and Dec. 14, 2019
- Buick Enclave SUVs built between Aug. 17, 2018 and July 7, 2020
- Cadillac XT6 SUVs built between July 1, 2019 and Dec. 21, 2019
- Cadillac XT4 SUVs built between Oct. 23, 2018 and Nov. 8, 2019
- GMC Acadia SUVs built between March 8, 2019 and Feb. 6, 2019
- Buick Encore SUVs built between Feb. 12, 2019 and Jan. 7, 2020
The recall is set to begin on Dec. 20. The manufacturers will contact the owners of the affected vehicles by mail.
You can also find out if your vehicle is affected by using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) recall lookup website. Enter your 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) into the website. If nothing comes up, there aren’t any current recalls on that vehicle.
