GM Brake Vacuum Pump Recall Closes Investigation

April 15, 2022 — A GM brake vacuum pump recall convinced U.S. safety regulators to close their investigation into hard brake pedals and long stopping distances in Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened the investigation in November 2018 following complaints about brake vacuum pumps that failed and caused problems with hard brake pedals and extended stopping distances that allegedly caused crashes and injuries.

More than 2.7 million General Motors vehicles were involved in the investigation.

GM told NHTSA the brake vacuum pump could fail due to debris mixed into the oil (oil sludge) which could become trapped by the oil inlet filter screen, which is used to allow a small amount of oil into the GM brake vacuum pump. The vacuum pump lost vacuum once the pump was clogged and lost lubrication.

In December 2018, GM released special coverage program N182202780 for brake vacuum pump problems in 2014-2017 GM trucks and 2015-2017 SUVs for 6 years or 72,000 miles. Repairs include replacing the GM brake vacuum pump and pump belt, and affected owners were notified of the program by mail.

But in 2019, GM notified Transport Canada about a brake vacuum pump recall for about 300,000 vehicles, then a few months later a U.S. GM brake vacuum pump recall was announced for more than 3.4 million vehicles.

Then in October 2019, GM extended the terms of special coverage program N182202780 to 10 years or 150,000 miles, and the extension included all vehicles involved in the GM brake vacuum pump recall. GM also later added the 2018 Cadillac Escalade and 2019 Chevy Tahoe.

These vehicles are included in the GM vacuum pump recall and special coverage program N182202780: