New GM Ignition Switch Recall Announced for 92K SUVs, Trucks

General Motors has again announced a recall linked to defective ignition switches, this time affecting about 92,000 full-size trucks and SUVs. 

On December 31, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a GM truck and SUV recall (PDF) for a number of Cadillac Escalades, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles, as well as GMC Sierra and Yukon vehicles, all from the 2011-2012 model years.

According to the recall notice, the vehicles have defective ignition lock actuators that may bind, making it hard to turn the key or getting the vehicle stuck in the “Start” position.

The NHTSA warns that if the key is stuck in the “Start” position, it may suddenly snap back to the “Accessory” position, resulting in a loss of engine power, steering and braking that could lead to an auto accident. Additionally, this will deactivate the airbags, meaning they would not deploy in the event of an accident; a problem which led to the recall of millions of GM vehicles throughout the year.

The recall affects 92,221 vehicles, of which 83,572 were sold in the U.S. The rest were sold in Mexico and Canada. The recall affects 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT vehicles; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles; and GMC Sierra, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles.

In some cases vehicles may have received the ignition switches as replacement parts this year.

The recall came on the last day of a year which saw record amounts of recalls, driven primarily by problems with airbags. While some of the millions of recalls were due to an airbag manufacturer, Takata Corp., GM also recalled millions of vehicles due to ignition switch problems that could disable airbags.

This recall does not appear to be related to the company’s other ignition switch recalls, which have led to thousands of claims, a growing number of GM ignition switch lawsuits, and the company admitting that it knew about the problems for more than a decade before responding with GM ignition switch recalls.

GM vehicle owners affected by the latest recall will be notified by the company, and dealers will inspect and repair the vehicles free of charge. The company has not yet released a notification schedule. Concerned owners can contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM’s number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.