GM Recommends Cadillac XT4 Winter Grille Cover In Extremely Low Temperatures
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General Motors recommends 2019 to 2022 model-year Cadillac XT4 owners use the vehicle’s winter grille cover in extremely low temperatures to prevent the charge air cooler from accumulating ice.
The winter grille cover is included with 2022 model-year Cadillac XT4 models that were ordered with the block heater (RPO code K03). Using the cover will prevent ice from gathering on the charge air cooler, which may “restrict air flow, resulting in a loss of power, hesitation on acceleration and other poor performance conditions,” according to GM.
The automaker referred to a service bulletin issued for the Buick Encore in April of 2019 that sought to address owner complaints of power loss, a stalling condition and other issues in extremely low temps, which were eventually tied to the charge cooler freezing over.
A one-time installation of the grille cover is covered under warranty for up to 12 months after vehicle delivery for 2022 models, but owners can also install the grille cover themselves. Installation information is included in the grille cover instruction sheet and the Owner’s Manual, the automaker says. The winter grille cover should only be used in extreme cold weather and should be removed when the winter season changes and temperatures rise above temperatures above 0°F or -18°C.
Customers who own a Cadillac XT4 without the winter grille cover can order it via a GM dealership. As noted above, the winter grille cover is included on 2022 model-year Cadillac XT4 vehicles that were ordered with the engine block heater, which is a $100 option.
GM recently launched the online configurator tool for the 2022 Cadillac XT4, allowing prospective buyers to customize the crossover and view a complete pricing breakdown. Just as with the previous model year, power in the 2022 Cadillac XT4 comes from a turbocharged 2.0L I4 LSY gasoline engine, which mates to a GM nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel-drive is standard while all-wheel-drive is available for a price premium.
The 2022 XT4 is built at the GM Fairfax Assembly plant in Missouri.
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Yep, anyone who’s owned a vehicle with a turbo and air to air intercooler will know that you don’t want that blocked.
It would help if the photo was of it installed properly.
Sir, that is a Husky Contractors Clean-up Bag.
Mmmm, why wouldn’t that apply to my 2019 turbo Equinox as well? It has a similar configuration.
… ah yeah… they do not deliver heat in seats and steering wheels, so other solutions, we know
Strap a tarp over the opening lol. Yeah that works, and again gm design team: You had only one job and you fugged it again.,.
I blame the cost cutting from the bean counters took part also. Don’t think the design team has anything to do with it 100%.
Note: Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas. Specifically Fairfax, KS.
But, Missouri and Kansas are almost the same, right?
The old cardboard on the garbage truck grille ploy.
@Rwd: Huge lol. People from the mid-west, east coast and/or cold climate areas will get that one immediately!
My thought? That “cover” is about as ugly as all the black plastic on the XT4 already. I was really hopeful that Cadillac would step up for the 2022 model XT4 and at least offer a package that would delete all or most of the black plastic around the car and give the option of the paint color. Nope. IMO that makes the XT4 look like it’s in the same class as the Rav4, CRV, CX5 and Escape! Not a group this car should look like.
Thank you, Dan!
I had a 1990 Sierra. It was the cheap SL model with single headlight each side. I know I bought a winter grille cover but can’t recall exactly how it looked? I think it snapped on? I know it had the gmc emblem cut-out to fit tight. I only lived a mile from work so getting heat up needed some help. It worked.
I agree that it looks like a sloppy quick fix. Which is what it is. Instead, Cadillac should design and have as an option a box with venetian blind-like horizontal slats which would be factory-installed behind the lower grille and be driver controlled from inside the car.
Half a55 solution to a problem they should have discovered during development and then cold weather testing at Kapuskasing.
Probably could not go ,,,,,due to Border being closed.
I’ve never heard of this or seen it. I live in a place where people talk slow, eat grits, and winter time is 46 degrees so maybe that’s why. We have the variety of four seasons but never bitter cold where we need snow tires or Hefty garbage bags strapped over the grille of our cars.
Really can’t make this stuff up with GM luxury brand, wonder who was in charge of winter evaluation for the XT4!
Once Again,, it’s just a bandaid for a poorly calibrated vehicle. The engineers found the issues in driveability and instead of putting out a new calibration,,,,, management decided to basically screw the people that live in colder climates.
I will be surprised if it don’t lead to legal actions due to safety concerns if cover is not used.
I guess they did not send the XT4 up to North Bay Canada for winter testing. What is the point of having a northern facility if it is not used to explore these problems before production??
“ extreme cold” or as its known in Canada as “ cold” So cold in fact that you’ll really want heated seats, that we won’t be installing.
Can we find the person making these decisions and see if his talents wouldn’t have a better fit in the mail room.
On ‘his’ decisions:
Or ‘hers’. -Mary’s been continually filling positions with females during her tenure…
I’ll show my age, what is a “charge air cooler”? Didn’t they used to call the “grille cover” a bra? So what’s new? Other than a bandaid has been put on a design problem? Remember when you’d but out a piece of corrugated box and put in against the radiator? At least you didn’t see it.
It’s an intercooler. Seems like below 0F temp of the intercooler radiator doesn’t get warm enough to melt ice like the engine coolant radiator can. The XT4 might not need the cardboard trick though, can’t remember if it has active grille shutters 🙂
On the shutters:
Well, I do know that some shutters are deleted when you get the tow pkg…
Cadillac should give the winter grille cover to XT4 owners for free. Should not be the customers fault that Cadillac discovered a defect for cold winter driving.
An owner installed grill cover may be a Ok, if marginal solution for a cheap-o Chevy, but I don’t see a lot of Cadillac owners getting excited about getting down on their knees in freezing weather to manually install a plastic or canvas cover over the lower grill. Many cars have grills with slats that open and close based on vehicle cooling needs, was that too complicated (read, Expensive) a solution for GM on their “Flagship” brand? A modestly equipped XT4 AWD is almost 50 grand! Go ahead and add another $100 bucks to this already grossly overpriced POS and make the grill functional in cold temps. Good think Lincoln does such a poor job marketing the far superior Corsair or Cadillac would never sell any of these. GM continues to piss me off with their demonstrated ability to develop world class chassis and then totally blow it on simple design and engineering tasks. It’s no wonder they continue to lose market share.
The first of my dad’s cars that I remember was a ’40 Pontiac. I believe it had a flathead I6 (not the I8). Dad had snap-on grille covers. Don’t know if they were from GM or the aftermarket. The covers stayed on for the entire Detroit winter.