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Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Crossover, Buick, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Saturn

The summer of 2010's recall hit parade continues unabated today, with General Motors having just announced that it is asking 243,403 owners of its 2009-2010 Lambda crossovers to bring their three-row haulers in for inspection. The culprit? Second-row seat belts in select Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook CUVs have "failed to perform properly in a crash."

According to GM, a second-row seat-side trim piece is to blame, as it can impede the upward rotation of the buckle after the seat is folded flat. As a result, if the buckle makes contact with the seat frame, cosmetic damage can occur, potentially requiring additional force to operate the buckle properly. So far, no great shakes, but in the process of applying that additional force, the occupant may push the buckle cover down to the strap, potentially revealing and depressing the red release button. As a result of this, the belt may not latch, or in certain cases, it may actually appear to be latched when, in fact, it isn't.

GM will be working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to administer the recall, which will see owners receiving letters beginning later this month to schedule an appointment for a no-cost inspection and repair of the affected belts. Click through to the jump for more details. Top tip, NOS879!



[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM recalling over 243,000 crossovers over possible seat belt defect

GM recalling over 243,000 crossovers over possible seat belt defect originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Truck, Work, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford

When it comes to all things pickup truck-related, our pal Mike Levine from PickupTrucks.com has his finger on the pulse of what's happening. Every year, Levine gathers all of the currently available contenders in a particular segment of the truck market for a shootout. With General Motors, Ford and Chrysler all having launched heavily reworked heavy-duty trucks in the last six months, that was the segment of choice for this year's 2010 Heavy-Duty Shootout. Levine collected three examples each of the 3/4-ton gas, 3/4-ton diesel and one-ton diesel duallie pickups for a battle royale at Milan Dragway in Michigan and the General Motors Milford proving ground.

The trucks were put through their paces in acceleration and braking tests, both unloaded and hauling trailers of up to 12,000 pounds. The trucks ran on the level Milan drag strip and up seven- and 16-percent grades at Milford. Levine also evaluated ride and handling and the trucks were put through a fuel economy drive loop. The bottom line results for each category are available after the jump and you can - and should - read Levine's definitive report over at PickupTrucks.com.



[Source: PickupTrucks]

Continue reading 2010 PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout: And the winners are...

2010 PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout: And the winners are... originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: SUV, Crossover, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

The Sport Utility Vehicle is dead. Long live the Sport Utility Vehicle.

We all know by now that the SUV, considered the Official Car of the 1990s and early 00s, has mostly fallen out of favor. But that doesn't mean we should expect the large, body-on-frame behemoths - with the exception of impractical niche models like those from Hummer - to completely disappear from automaker showrooms any time soon.

Instead, the market may just right-size itself back to a more natural mix, with those users who really do need the off-road and towing capabilities of a proper SUV sticking with their 'utes and the rest of the population switching to crossovers. With that in mind, Automotive News reports that the redesigned GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe, due in 2013 or 2014, will likely stick to their truck-based roots. No surprise.

Nor should we be shocked by the revelation that the GMC Granite, which was first shown at the Detroit Auto Show early in 2010, is still in the works. In today's market conditions, an entirely truck-based lineup makes very little fiscal sense, but we'd imagine that General Motors' Lambda triplets will remain the automaker's volume sellers.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Report: GM SUVs to continue with full frame, Granite still on the table originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Truck, Safety, Technology, Work, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

Last week, PickupTrucks.com held one of its periodic load lugger shootouts where it brings together the heavy haulers from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to see which pickup truck is the top dog. After running acceleration tests at Milan dragway, editor Mike Levine and the crew moved the fleet of nine trucks to the GM Proving Ground in Milford, MI. During towing evaluations on the 7.2 percent hill, Levine discovered an issue on the Chevy Silverado 2500 while the gas-engined 3/4 ton truck was towing 10,000 pound trailers up the hill.

The GM trucks incorporate a hill-hold feature into the stability control system. Hill-hold is supposed to detect when the vehicle is on an incline with the brakes applied. When the driver releases the brake pedal, the valves in the stability control unit retain the pressure in the brake lines for up to 1.5 seconds. Once the timer expires or the driver applies the accelerator, the valves release the brake pressure.

During testing, Levine discovered that the system was not holding the pressure on the 7.2 percent hill for any of the GM trucks and notified the engineers on hand. Oddly, a later test found that the system was working properly on the steeper 16 percent grade. GM engineers investigated the issue with engineers from system supplier TRW and found an incorrect calibration value in the control software for the accelerometer used to detect inclines. This prevented the system from correctly detecting the smaller hill.

The code was corrected and updated software began rolling out to the production line this past Monday, July 19. The same software update is also going out to dealers so that trucks in stock on lots and in for service can also be updated. GM is still considering whether to issue a recall or a technical service bulletin for trucks that have already been delivered to customers.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com, TRW]

GM discovers flaw with HD pickup hill-hold assist, fast-tracks fix originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Podcasts, Ford, GM, GMC, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Toyota, Volkswagen

Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Paukert and Dan Roth are the crew for Episode #187 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover Lamborghini rumors, the new Ford Explorer's fuel economy with its rumored EcoBoost powertrain, the rumors swirling around the possibility that the Wall Street Journal printed an article that was a plant from Toyota, a sports car based on the Nissan Leaf, and the seemingly insatiable appetite for German premium cars. We hit your feedback and questions before throwing in the towel at the hour and a half mark. Thanks for listening, see you next time!

Autoblog Podcast #187 - Lamborghini rumors, Explorer economy, media plants, a sporty Leaf and premium Germans




In the Autoblog Garage:

Mitsubishi Outlander
Jaguar XJL
GMC Sierra 3500HD
Volkswagen Golf TDI

News:

• Rumormill: Lamborghini developing Touareg-based SUV, V8 Gallardo [w/poll]
• 2011 Ford Explorer with EcoBoost 2.0-liter delivers 30% better fuel economy than V6
• Followup: Toyota 'strongly objects' to NHTSA allegations it planted story in WSJ
• Rumormill: Nissan considering Leaf-based EV sportscar
• Report: German mfgs cleaning up as appetite for luxury cars is 'bottomless'

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Paukert, Chris Shunk

Runtime: 86:17

---

Get the podcast:
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[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #187 - Lamborghini rumors, Explorer economy, media plants, a sporty Leaf and premium Germans originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Truck, Work, GMC, Diesel, Luxury

You want the heaviest of heavy-duty pickup trucks and you want to drive in the lap of luxury. If that sounds like you, have we got some great news to share. The 2011 GMC Sierra Denali 3500 pickup truck is now officially official, and the first such unit is currently being tested in tandem by the heavy haulin' folks at PickupTrucks.com and our very own Sam Abuelsamid.

Best of all, come August 16, you'll know exactly the big bruiser Denali compares with its peers. A total of nine Heavy Duty pickup trucks are currently being compared out in Detroit, including multiple models from Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.

While we're waiting for all that data to drop, we can at least consider what differentiates a regular Professional Grade GMC pickup from a Denali: Chrome, and lots of it... from the grille to the door handles to the giant badges; 18- or 20-inch polished forged aluminum wheels and an interior swathed in leather and brushed aluminum trim. Other niceties include power-adjustable pedals, a Bose audio system, 12-way power seats, heated steering wheel and heated and cooled seats. Unfortunately, the exterior will only be available in three colors: Black, Stealth Gray and White.

Feel free to brush up on all the details in the original press release from May after the break, and check out the first image of the GMC Sierra Denali 3500 above.

[Sources: GMC, PickupTrucks.com]

Continue reading GMC Sierra Denali 3500 debuts at Pickup Shootout

GMC Sierra Denali 3500 debuts at Pickup Shootout originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What is professional grade? GMC designer Jeff Perkins shares how unexpected things like power tools inspire designs that are uniquely GMC.

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hatchback, GM, GMC

When General Motors debuted the GMC Granite concept at this year's Detroit Auto Show, it was a huge hit with both the media and public in attendance. A small hatchback like this would shake up GMC's legacy of only building trucks and crossovers, but it would be a good way to expand the brand's lineup and better establish it as a core part of GM.

Now, the folks at Motor Trend report that the Granite has been given the green light for production, though The General is still in the process of figuring out if it can keep those nifty rear-hinged doors intact. The Granite shares the same architecture as the Chevrolet Orlando which will be produced for other markets and will likely be powered by GM's new 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four, possibly mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It's still unclear when we'll actually see a production version of the Granite concept, but we wouldn't be surprised if a few test mules start popping up outside of GM's proving grounds within the next year. Can a tall Scion xB-like hatch exist under the GMC nameplate? Be sure to give us your opinion in the poll below.

*Update: Motor Trend is now saying that it was a bit premature in reporting that the Granite was a go. While MT still strongly believes it will be produced, it has yet to receive the official green light.

View Poll

[Source: Motor Trend]

Report: GMC Granite approved for production [w/poll] *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Truck, Recalls, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

Just weeks after starting production of the new 2011 heavy-duty pickup trucks at the Flint, MI assembly plant, General Motors suspended work last Thursday to replace a defective component. Engineers found a problem with the unidentified part during routine testing and immediately found a replacement. Three shifts of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD production were canceled on Thursday and Friday, but assembly is scheduled to resume on Monday morning.

Trucks that have already been built and shipped to dealers over the past four weeks will also be retrofitted before customer delivery. In July, GM will also add production of light-duty pickups at Flint.



Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Report: GM suspends production at Flint HD pickup plant over part issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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