2007 Gmc Sierra Crew Cab Truck 4.8l Auto Air Low Miles Power Pkg Cruise Control on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GM under fire from safety advocates over braking problem caused by recall fix

Safety experts are lambasting General Motors over what they say is the automaker’s slow notification of owners of certain 2019 sedans and trucks that a recall fix could cause power braking to fail and increase the risk of a crash, the Detroit Free Press reports.  GMÂ’s original recall in December targeted about 550,000 Cadillac CT6 sedans and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, all from the 2019 model year, over potentially defective electronic stability control and antilock brakes. In that case, GM said the errors would not show up as a diagnostic warning on the instrument cluster. But after GM had done recall work on 162,000 vehicles, about 1,700 owner have complained that their power brakes didnÂ’t work after they had the recall done and then used the OnStar app to start their vehicle. GM then issued a supplemental fix for customers whoÂ’d already had their vehicles serviced. In this case, a diagnostic warning should illuminate saying either “Service Brake Assist” or “Service ECS,” which GM says is a signal that a customer should not drive the vehicle and instead call their dealer, which will tow the vehicle and have it repaired. Safety advocates say the automaker hasnÂ’t gone far enough to protect customers. “The fact that you could potentially start a vehicle and not have brakes is a pretty risky proposition,” Sean Kane, president of the Safety Research and Strategies, which works on auto issues for plaintiffs and governmental organizations, told the Freep. “The fact that they wouldnÂ’t notify owners (sooner) is pretty stunning.” GM told the Freep it was required to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and file paperwork before it notified customers about the original recall, which was made Dec. 12. It then had to investigate and resolve the problem created by its original recall fix before alerting customers. GMÂ’s call center and dealers are contacting the remaining 900 customers who havenÂ’t yet had the update made to the original recall repair. GM also hired a vendor to send recall letters to the 550,000 customers affected by the original recall notifying them about the update. There are no known injuries or deaths related to the problem. Read the Freep story here.

U.S. new-vehicle sales in 2018 rise slightly to 17.27 million [UPDATE]

DETROIT — Sales of new vehicles in the U.S. rose slightly in 2018, defying predictions and highlighting a strong economy. Automakers reported an increase of 0.3 percent over a year ago to 17.27 million vehicles. The increase came despite rising interest rates, a volatile stock market, and rising car and truck prices that pushed some buyers out of the new-vehicle market. Industry analysts and automakers said strong economic fundamentals pushed up sales and should keep them near historic highs in 2019. "Economic conditions in the U.S. are favorable and should continue to be supportive of vehicle sales at or around their current run rate," Ford Chief Economist Emily Kolinski Morris said after the company and other automakers announced their sales numbers Thursday. That auto sales remain near the 2016 record of 17.55 million is a testimonial to the strength of the economy, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. The job market, he said, has created new employment, and wage growth has accelerated. "That's fundamental to selling anything," he said. "If there are lots of jobs and people are getting bigger paychecks, they will buy more." The unemployment rate is 3.7 percent, a 49-year low. The economy is thought to have grown close to 3 percent last year, its best performance in more than a decade. Consumers, the main driver of the economy, are spending freely. The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate four times in 2018 but is only expected to raise it twice this year. Auto sales also were helped by low gasoline prices and rising home values, Zandi said. It all means that people are likely to keep buying new vehicles this year even as they grow more expensive. The Edmunds.com auto-pricing site estimates that the average new vehicle price hit a record $35,957 in December, about 2 percent higher than the previous year. It will be harder for automakers to keep the sales pace above 17 million because they have been enticing buyers for several years now with low-interest financing and other incentives, Zandi said. He predicts more deals in the coming year as job growth slows and credit tightens for higher-risk buyers. Edmunds, which provides content, including automotive tips and reviews, for distribution by The Associated Press, predicts that sales will drop this year to 16.9 million.

2020 GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD spied on public roads

We saw spy shots of the Chevrolet Silverado HD a short time ago, and now it looks like GM has got the 2020 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty trucks running around in public too. The one we're looking at here appears to be a 2500 Denali Crew Cab, distinguished easily by the same Denali grille on the 2019 Sierra 1500. Aesthetic differences between the front fascias on the 1500 and 2500 HD are small, but the 2500 is a bit more muscular in the hood and lower trim treatment. GMC doesn't look like it's hiding a whole lot with this camouflage, since the sheets over the grille and headlights are mostly transparent. The black tarp over what appears to be a hood scoop leads us to believe it will have the same type of hood design as the 2018 HD. Other interesting bits revealed here are around the rear of the pickup. We can see the same interface for the MultiPro six-way tailgate on this truck as the 1500, so at least the Denalis will have the trick tailgate (we'd expect every trim to have it, though). Just like we saw on the Silverado, the Sierra HD gets the stepside feature just ahead of the rear wheels. LED taillights are clearly visible through the thin veiling, and GM's rear steps remain as well. in addition to this 2500 HD, our spy photographers also caught a 3500 HD model. This one isn't a Denali, as the grille shows its hand again. The grille is different than any of GM's designs on the new trucks we've seen thus far, actually. GMC showed us a teaser of what a new Silverado HD grille would look like months ago, but this differs even further than that. It looks rather minimalistic under the sheet for now, with strong horizontal slats. The actual shape and design of the truck is revealed for the most part, since it's just wearing a thin body wrap. Its mirror design appears to be different from last year's, as the arm is completely solid. A sidestep right in front of the rear wheels carries over from the 2500 HD too. We imagine both this truck and the Silverado HD will debut early next year during auto show season. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.