Chevy Express, GMC Savana Recalled For Momentary Rear Wheel Lock-Up Or Sudden Direction Change

The General has issued a Safety Recall for certain units of the 2022 to 2023 Chevy Express and 2022 to 2023 GMC Savana vans related to a control module defect that can cause a brief lockup of the rear wheels or a sudden change in direction at low speed.

GM service personnel are advised to check the Investigate Vehicle History page in the GM Global Warranty Management system before starting further work on possibly affected Chevy Express and GMC Savana units.

The problem: the transmission control module may be incorrectly calibrated to respond successfully to electric failures within the transmission of the Chevy Express and GMC Savana vans involved in Recall number N242471620. This, in turn, can lead to loss of power while the transmission is shifting.

The hazards: the malfunction of the transmission control module can potentially cause several problems to the affected van, especially when moving at low speed. Among these problems are reduced power, harsh shifting, abrupt deceleration, momentary rear wheel lockup and even turning in an unexpected direction.

Any of these effects have the possibility of causing a crash or accident, since they occur unexpectedly and can lead to collisions with other vehicles or objects depending on the situation.

The fix: service personnel are instructed to update the calibration of the transmission control module to a new, correct condition. This process requires about three quarters of an hour and needs no components.

Affected components: transmission control module.

Notably, the issue only affects Chevy Express and GMC Savana units with certain engine and transmission combinations. These include the naturally aspirated 4.3L V6 LV1 gasoline engine paired with the GM 8-speed automatic transmission (RPO code M5U) and the 2.8L I4 LWN turbodiesel Duramax engine paired with a different GM 8-speed automatic transmission (RPO code MQD).

Affected vehicles: 

• 2022 Chevy Express
• 2023 Chevy Express
• 2022 GMC Savana
• 2023 GMC Savana

Number of affected vehicles: a total of 77,824 vehicles are affected by the recall in the United States, including 54,722 Express units and 23,102 Savana units.

Owners should: owners of affected Express or Savana vans will be notified by GM of the safety recall. The remedy is available free of charge. Notably, dealerships with affected Express or Savana units in stock must hold those vehicles until the remedy has been applied to them (with sales, demonstration, and trading all forbidden).

Those with additional questions can use the customer service toll-free telephone numbers below to contact Chevy or GMC directly:

Contacts:

• GM recall number: N242471620
• Chevy Customer Service: 1-800-222-1020
• GMC Customer Service: 1-800-333-4223