GM recalling 820,000 vehicles in U.S. and Canada

General Motors (GM) is recalling 820,000 vehicles in North America due to the tailgates malfunction that could unlatch and open without user interaction.

This recall is announced for vehicles with power unlatching tailgates which could leak water into the exterior tailgate switch and cause a short circuit while parked. The recall counts GM brands’ vehicles released from 2020 through 2024.

GM said it received over 136 complaints for this issue before launching an investigation in November last year. The auto group confirmed that there was a minor injury reported due to this malfunction and three property damages.

The issue occurred in 2020-2023 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks and 2020-2024 heavy-duty versions of the same pickup trucks with power unlatching tailgates.

Of these 820,000 vehicles, 57,000 are trucks sold in the U.S. and 25,000 in Canada. This is the largest recall filed this year and it is one of the largest so far.

The regulator’s letter from the U.S. and Canada mentioned that the tailgate could cause the cargo to fall into the truck bed and then on the road while driving.

According to the information, GM dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies. If the dealer doesn’t have the part available it could disable the part until it arrives back in the inventory to fix the issue.

The car company confirmed that the new part from its inventory will improve resistance to water intrusion.

As a pre-fix advisory, GM says car owners with this issue should ensure that the tailgate is closed and latched before driving.

(source – NBC News)