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NHTSA closes 4-year GM investigation, issues common sense advisory [w/video]

Since January 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating a possible problem with corroding brake lines in General Motors' GMT800-platform models, like the Chevrolet Silverado and Suburban and GMC Sierra, in states with salt on their roads in the winter. However, as opposed to launching a full recall of millions of vehicles, the government is issuing a common-sense safety advisory to all drivers in snowy states to keep their vehicle's undercarriage clean. It even has a video explaining things. "Older-model vehicles, often driven in harsh conditions, are subject to corrosion over long periods of time, and we need owners to be vigilant about ensuring they, their passengers, and others on the roads are safe," said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind in the announcement of the end of the investigation. The agency was clear in its report that "brake line corrosion seen in the GM vehicles was not unique," and the government "has not identified a defect that would initiate a recall order." Instead NHTSA is advising drivers, especially those of vehicles from before 2007, to wash their vehicle's undercarriage in the winter and spring to remove salt or other de-icing chemicals. It also recommends regular checks by a mechanic to make sure everything is in proper order. According to the investigation documents, for just the GMT800 platform models, NHTSA found 3,645 complaints of brake line corrosion, which included allegations of 107 crashes and 40 injuries. The issue was found to be more common in vehicles over 10 years old. GM has released a statement (embedded below) that the company "supports the consumer advisory from NHTSA urging regular maintenance and care of brake lines on older vehicles." NHTSA Closes Investigation into Brake-Line Failures NHTSA 13-15 Thursday, April 9, 2015 Agency issues safety advisory on preventing undercarriage corrosion WASHINGTON – The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today issued a Safety Advisory and consumer video encouraging owners of model year 2007 and older trucks, SUVs and passenger cars to inspect brake lines and thoroughly wash the underside of their vehicles to remove corrosive salt after the long winter in order to prevent brake-line failures that increase the risk of a crash.

Our favorite mid-engine Corvette theories and rumors

The mid-engine Corvette! We just saw blurry photos through the foliage, and are hearts are all aflutter because it means that this car is real. And it's the most " never before" Corvette since 1984. Which leads us to all kinds of wacky theories and speculation. Everybody knows something or heard from a guy. None of those guys (or gals) from GM are talking to Autoblog, to be clear. But that won't stop us from stirring the pot. Let's go over a few point-by-point. The pushrod engine will be replaced by an overhead-cam V8 Car and Driver has repeatedly reported that an overhead-cam engine will come after the mid-engine Corvette's debut with an old-school pushrod. We've heard the same thing firsthand, albeit from a source with no connection to the development of the Corvette or powertrain. "At some point two valves can't pass future emissions regulations," said the guy we know. While the pushrod engine is compact, the design makes it difficult - if not impossible - for sophisticated variable valve timing (and lift) systems that control combustion with more precision. Hasty conclusion: The pushrod engine has a finite life in front of it. This one's a lock, it's a just a matter of when. Bowling Green's new paint shop is really the mid-engine assembly line Credit to Reddit for this one. Like we said, everybody knows a guy. But let's look deeper. The new paint facility costs $439 million dollars and adds 450,000 square feet, almost half the size of the existing plant. Plus GM announced another $290 million in upgrades at Bowling Green Assembly. That sure sounds like a lot of money, but you can actually spend that much on a paint booth. Porsche spent 500 million Euros (about $561 million dollars) to add the Macan assembly to its Leipzig, Germany plant in 2014. Chrysler shelled out $850 million for a paint shop in Sterling Heights, Michigan. GM spent $600 million for a new paint shop at the Fairfax (Kansas City) plant. Honda, on the other hand, is working on a thrifty $210 million project in Marysville, Ohio that includes a 300,000 square foot expansion, and the low-volume Acura NSX facility only cost $70 million. Hasty conclusion: The square footage and cost could easily mean a new assembly line instead of (or in addition to) a paint line. And if the NSX plant was really that cheap, GM could have hidden a similar sum in its existing announcements.

GM recalls 3.8 million vehicles in North America due to braking issue

WASHINGTON — General Motors Co said Wednesday it was recalling 3.46 million U.S. pickup trucks and SUVs to address a vacuum pump issue that could make braking more difficult and that has been linked to 113 accidents and 13 injuries. The recall covers 2014-2018 model year vehicles, including some Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon vehicles. In late June, GM recalled 310,000 vehicles in Canada for the same issue. GM did not immediately explain why the Canadian recall occurred more than two months before it called back the vehicles in the United States. The recall was triggered because the amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time, GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in documents posted on Wednesday. The NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into the issue last November, and said it had reports of nine related crashes and two injuries. It provided GM in July with additional field reports that prompted the automaker to open an investigation. GM said it could affect braking in "rare circumstances." The NHTSA said in a statement the "vehicles may experience brake boost failure, which would require increased brake pedal effort, leading to a hard brake pedal feel, and potentially increased stopping distance." GM said dealers will reprogram the electronic brake control module to improve how the system utilizes the hydraulic brake boost assist function when vacuum assist is depleted. GM said the vacuum assist pump, which is lubricated with engine oil that flows into the pump through a filter screen, can in some cases lose effectiveness over time, as debris such as oil sludge can accumulate on the filter screen. GM told NHTSA that prior model years used a different brake assist system design, and vehicles manufactured after 2018 were not equipped with the affected pump design. Separately, GM said on Wednesday it is recalling 270,000 additional U.S. vehicles in three smaller recalls, including 177,000 2018 Chevrolet Malibu cars with 1.5L turbo engines because an error in the engine control module software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.