2014 Gmc Sierra 1500 Sle on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

GM recalling 521,817 cars in two campaigns

General Motors is issuing two, separate recalls covering a total of 521,817 vehicles worldwide. The larger campaign covers 468,887 units of the 2011-2012 Chevrolet Malibu. Specifically, 437,045 of these are in the US, and the rest are outside the country. In these sedans, a steel cable that connects the seat belt to the vehicle can fatigue and separate. GM knows of 36 claims about the problem but only one minor injury. According to The Detroit News, this happened when a taxi driver hit his head. To fix things, dealers will replace the "outboard lap mounting bracket," which will move the tensioner rearward. They'll also inspect and if necessary replace the steel cable and lap pretensioner. In the second campaign, 52,930 examples the 2015 Chevy Colorado and 2015 GMC Canyon have seat frame attachment hooks that were installed incorrectly during assembly. GM hasn't received any reports of crashes, injuries, or fatalities about this problem. Dealers will inspect the affected trucks and repair as necessary. GM spokesperson Alan Adler told Autoblog that he didn't yet have a specific date when affected owners would receive official mailings about either of these recalls. GM Statement General Motors is recalling 48,309 2015 model year Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickup trucks in the U.S. because certain seat frame attachment hooks were not properly attached to the vehicle body during assembly. Dealers will inspect the potentially affected seats for proper installation and repair if necessary. GM knows of no crashes, injuries or fatalities related to this condition. The total vehicle population of the recall is 52,930 including 4,620 vehicles sold in Canada. General Motors is recalling 437,045, 2011-2012 model year Chevrolet Malibus in the U.S. because the flexible steel cable that connects the safety belt to the vehicle can fatigue and separate over time as a result of occupant movement in the seat. Dealers will replace the outboard lap mounting bracket to relocate the tensioner slightly rearward. Dealers will inspect the cable and, if necessary, replace the lap pretensioner. GM knows of 36 claims, no crashes or fatalities and one minor injury reportedly related to the condition. The total vehicle population of the recall is 468,887 including Canada, Mexico and exports.

2024 GMC Sierra HD unveiled with new design and more powerful turbodiesel V8

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD made its debut in September 2022, so it was only a matter of time before the GMC Sierra HD received a similar round of updates. Unveiled online, the truck gains a new-look design and a more powerful turbodiesel V8, among other changes. GMC developed the Sierra HD primarily for towing and hauling so the most significant changes are found under the hood. The available 6.6-liter turbodiesel Duramax V8 engine now develops 470 horsepower at 2,800 rpm and 975 pound-feet of torque at 1,600 rpm, figures that represent increases of 25 and 65, respectively, over the 2023 model and that match the 2024 Silverado HD's. GMC notes it increased low-end torque by about 25% by fitting a new turbocharger. The V8 spins the rear or the four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission.  On the gasoline side of the spectrum, the 6.6-liter V8's output stays flat at 401 horsepower and 464 pound-feet of torque. It's now bolted to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and replacing the 2023 truck's six-speed lets the engine run closer to its peak power for longer periods. Here again, rear-wheel-drive comes standard and a part-time four-wheel-drive system is available across the entire line-up. Properly equipped, the 2024 Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cab can tow up to 21,900 pounds. The standard 2500 HD's towing capacity checks in at 22,500 pounds (a 4,000-pound improvement), and the 3500 HD is capable of towing up to 36,000 pounds — that's nearly 13 Subaru BRZs. Buyers have a dizzying selection of trim levels and body styles to choose from. The range includes Regular, Extended, and Crew cabs as well as seven trim levels called Pro, SLE, SLT, AT4, AT4X, Denali, and Denali Ultimate, respectively. The AT4X variant will not be available at launch, and the Denali Ultimate is new for the 2024 model year. Additionally, 3500 HD models can be ordered with dual rear wheels. What the truck looks like depends on the trim level. Broadly speaking, designers drew a more angular front end with a new-look grille, sharper-looking lights, and a redesigned bumper. New wheels are part of the update as well; the 3500 HD dually gets 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, and 22-inch units are optional on single-rear-wheel trucks. Finally, the color palette grows with six optional shades called Titanium Rush Metallic, Sterling Metallic, Volcanic Red Tintcoat, Redwood Metallic, Meteorite Metallic, and Downpour Metallic, respectively.