What Drivers Should Do if They Have One of the 323,000 GM HD Pickups Being Recalled

GM is recalling more than 323,000 high-end Heavy Duty pickup trucks because the electric tailgates can malfunction. However, the automaker doesn’t have parts yet to fix them. We look at what drivers should do in the meantime if they have one of the 2020-2024 HD Chevrolet Silverados or HD GMC Sierras with a Multi-Flex tailgate.

What is Causing the Recall

According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM started investigating the problem in November of 2023, after receiving over 100 complaints of tailgates opening without warning. GM traced the problems to a tailgate release switch. GM found that water was able to get into the tailgate switch and cause it to short-circuit and malfunction. There are 128,966 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 (HD) vehicles affected by this recall and another 194,266 GMC Sierra 2500/3500 (HD) vehicles affected by this recall. Dealers have been ordered to stop selling new 2024 trucks affected until they can be fixed.

According to NHTSA, “GM’s analysis of potentially-related field incidents, completed on January 5, 2024, identified 136 complaints that alleged an unwanted tailgate opening “while driving.”

GM has other systems in place to make sure tailgates don’t unlatch while driving, so the automaker determined that the tailgates must have become unlatched while in park and opened while the person was driving.

“Accordingly, these complaints are likely attributable to the tailgate releasing while in Park before beginning a drive. The complaints were received by GM between September 1, 2020 and August 1, 2023. Among the complaints were one allegation of minor injury and three complaints of minor property damage.”

How GM Will Fix the Problem

According to NHTSA, Dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies. The replacement parts will use a new material that will make them waterproof. GM made improvements to the top housing material of the switch while producing new HD trucks after August 1, 2023. Owners should be notified about getting their HD trucks fixed after March 18, 2024. All of the repairs will be done free of charge. The NHTSA number for this recall is 24V-060. The GM recall number is N232426400.

What Drivers Should do Until Their HD Truck is Fixed

The big concern is that the tailgate can open while the owner is driving and cargo can fall out and hurt someone behind them on the road. Until the truck is repaired, drivers should manually close the tailgate before driving the truck. That means owners need to check that the tailgate is closed and latched before every drive.

Chevrolet Photo

Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

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