— General Motors start-stop accumulator problems have caused a recall of more than 217,000 of these vehicles at risk of fires due to transmission fluid leaks.
- 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze
- 2018-2019 Buick LaCrosse
- 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox
- 2018-2020 Chevrolet Traverse
- 2018-2020 GMC Terrain
- 2018 Chevrolet Malibu
- 2019-2020 Buick Encore
- 2019-2020 Buick Enclave
- 2019-2020 Cadillac XT4
- 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer
- 2019-2020 GMC Acadia
- 2020 Cadillac XT6
According to GM, the start-stop accumulator endcap may have missing or loose bolts which could result in a transmission oil leak and may cause a loss of propulsion. The fire risk enters the picture if leaking transmission fluid makes contact with an ignition source.
The assembly line software had errors that may have caused the start-stop accumulators to be moved out without two required bolts.
GM discovered two missing bolts on two start-stop transmission accumulators supplied by Borg Warner in July. The supplier inspected more than 21,000 accumulators and GM engineers tested the components to understand the effect of the missing bolts.
"Bench testing was completed on September 21, 2020 and showed potential failures prior to end-of-life on start-stop accumulators with missing bolts for one of the two affected transmission designs." - GM's investigation
GM decided to order the recall but says it isn't aware of any crashes or injuries related to the missing bolts.
More than 194,000 vehicles are recalled in the U.S. and nearly 23,000 are recalled in Canada.
The U.S. accumulator recall is expected to begin December 14, 2020. GM dealers will replace the accumulators if any bolts are missing.
U.S. owners may contact GMC at 888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 800-955-9007, Chevrolet at 800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 800-458-8006.
GM owners in Canada may call 800-263-3777.
GM's recall number is N202313440.
