GM Expands Chevy Malibu, Buick Regal And LaCrosse Toe Link Recall

General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have expanded a recall for the Chevy Malibu, Buick Regal and Buick LaCrosse that was issued over rusting suspension toe links.

The problem: as we covered in two separate previous articles, the rear toe links in affected vehicles may have received excessive electrocoating corrosion protection, which can cause the coating to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away entirely, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. If enough corrosion accumulates on the toe link, it may eventually cause it to thin and ultimately fracture. This recall is only for vehicles sold or that were ever registered in cold-weather states.

The hazards: if a rear toe link fractures, the driver may be unable to properly control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: dealers will be instructed to replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners in affected vehicles. These repairs will be performed at no cost to the vehicle owner. GM says parts for this recall campaign are not currently available. As such, owners will be mailed interim notification letters notifying them of the safety risk, which will be sent out on February 7^th, 2022. A second notice will be sent once the remedy is available.

Affected vehicles:

• 2012-2013 Buick Regal
• 2013 Chevy Malibu
• 2010-2013 Buick LaCrosse

Affected components: rear suspension toe link.

Number of affected vehicles: this expanded recall campaign includes 4,271 vehicles in the United States, which are in addition to the 213,128 vehicles that were recalled previously. Only vehicles from the following cold weather states are involved in this recall campaign: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Owners should: GM will notify owners of affected vehicles and instruct them to make an appointment with their dealer. If owners are unsure whether or not their vehicle is affected by this recall, they can visit my.gm.com/recalls and type in their VIN to see any open recalls or other actions that may be active on it.

Contacts:

• GM recall number: N212346640
• NHTSA campaign number: 21V00F000
• Chevrolet Customer Service: 1-800-222-1020
• Buick Customer Service: 1-877-248-2080
• NHTSA Toll Free: 1-888-327-4236
• NHTSA (TTY): 1-800-424-9153

Subscribe to GM Authority for more GM recall news, Buick Regal news, Buick LaCrosse news, Buick news, Chevy Malibu news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock General Motors news coverage.