Chevy Express Cutaway Recalled For Potential B-Pillar Fire

GM has issued a safety recall for certain units of the 2003 to 2023 model-year Chevy Express Cutaway vehicles.

The vehicles are built with an unused circuit in the lower left side B-pillar, which final-stage manufacturers can optionally use to power a rear HVAC system when building the Chevy Express Cutaway into a finished utility van, hicube, or box truck. This unused rear HVAC blower motor circuit is also present in model year 2003 to 2023 GMC Savana Cutaway vehicles.

The problem: the connectors or cut wires of the rear HVAC blower motor circuit in the 2003 to 2023 Chevy Express Cutaway may be left unsealed by the final-stage manufacturer when the vehicle is completed.

The hazards: the unsealed wires or connectors of the rear HVAC blower motor circuit inside the left side B-pillar may corrode over time as a result of exposure to moisture or contaminants. This could cause high current draw through the circuit, resultant high heat, and the risk of a possible fire in rare instances.

The fix: the dealership is to properly seal the rear HVAC blower motor circuit of affected 2003 to 2023 Chevy Express Cutaway vehicles. The dealership service personnel should install RAYCHEM splice sealing end caps and/or yellow DuraSeal splice sleeves on the circuit as appropriate. Locally sourced end caps or splice sleeves may be substituted if the listed parts are unavailable.

Dealers should confirm that an individual vehicle is affected before beginning the repair. Confirmation can be carried out using the GM Global Warranty Management system by navigating to the Investigate Vehicle History screen. The vehicle will be marked “open” if it is involved in the safety recall.

GM notes that all affected 2003 to 2023 Chevy Express Cutaway units currently in dealer inventories cannot be delivered to customers, traded between dealerships, or used for demonstrations until the repair described in the safety recall has been properly performed. Selling, leasing, or trading the affected vehicles after the bulletin’s publication is a violation of federal law.

Affected components: rear HVAC blower motor circuit (B-pillar).

Affected vehicles: 

• 2003 to 2023 Chevy Express Cutaway
• 2003 to 2023 GMC Savana Cutaway

Number of affected vehicles: There are 138,588 affected Chevy Express Cutaway units at this time, in addition to 10,440 GMC Savana Cutaway units.

Owners should: GM will notify owners of affected vehicles and instruct them to make an appointment with their dealer. Any owners that are unsure whether or not their vehicle is affected by this recall 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. Owners can also reach out to Chevy directly with any questions or concerns they may have using the recall number and contact information included below.

Contacts: 

• GM recall number: N222386050
• Chevrolet Customer Service: 1-800-222-1020

As a reminder, the 2023 Chevy Express rides on the GMT 610 platform, while production takes place at the GM Wentzville plant in Missouri. However, the Chevy Express Cutaway is also produced by Navistar at a separate facility in Ohio.

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