General Motors (GM) has announced the recall of more than 132,000 trucks equipped with power-unlatching tailgates due to a potential safety hazard, according to a notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The issue occurs when water intrudes into the tailgate’s electronic gate-release switch, causing it to short-circuit. This can lead to the tailgate unintentionally unlatching while the vehicle is in park.
This recall includes certain 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks and adds them to a previous recall affecting 323,000 heavy-duty pickups from February. Only trucks with a manual gate and power lock and release systems are impacted.
Owners are strongly advised to ensure their tailgates are securely closed and latched before driving to prevent unintentional openings. This could pose safety risks.
To address the issue, GM dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies free of charge. Owners of the affected vehicles will receive notification letters starting January 13, 2025.
GM truck owners can contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 for further details about the recall and assistance. Additionally, the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline is available at 1-888-327-4236 for more information
This recall, identified by GM under the reference number N242469160, expands on a previous recall (NHTSA Recall 24V-060). Vehicle owners are encouraged to take immediate action to address the defect and ensure their safety.
Drivers can also visit the NHTSA’s recall lookup tool for more details or to verify whether a vehicle is affected.