1988 Gmc Sierra Short Wheel Base on 2040-cars

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GMC Terrain headlight recall fix is a sticker

This GMC Terrain recall over a headlight issue has gone from fascinating to absurd. It started when GMC discovered the headlights on the 2010-2017 Terrain were out of compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). A pinpoint of low-beam light was being reflected off the high-beam reflector. This bounced a tiny sliver of bright light up into the trees and the sky beside the road, not into oncoming traffic. GMC did the right thing, reporting the noncompliance to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Because the sliver of light was coming from the low beams and was four times brighter than the maximum allowable low beam brightness, the NHTSA told GMC to recall 740,581 units of the SUV. GMC asked for an exemption, admitting the bright spot could cause glare while noting the errant beam didn't affect other road users. The automaker hadn't received any complaints, only a comment from one owner saying the lights put a bright spot in the trees on the other side of the road. The NHTSA denied the request. GMC began notifying owners in April that they'd need to come in for a fix once a fix had been developed. That's the fascinating part. The absurd part, which Tire Meets Road uncovered, is that the fix is a "Headlamp Applique Kit." Which is a piece of frosted tape applied to the outside of the headlight that lets low-beam light through and tamps down any potential glare from the caroming beam. Notice that the parallelogram of frosted tape matches the L-shaped frosted area along the inside of the headlight housing. That portion was already a feature of the lamp, as can be seen in our 2016 Terrain Denali Quick Spin. The repair needs a trip to the dealer for a tech to place a positioning template over the headlight and put the applique kit in the proper spot. GM's instruction kit says the whole thing should take 0.2 of an hour, or 12 minutes—about the time it it would take to get checked into and out of the dealership service department. Owners aren't impressed, some calling the fix unnecessary and ridiculous, and the tape should make it clear that GMC feels the same way. Some owners have said they're going to skip the recall. Those drivers will find that just as GMC couldn't escape the legal ramifications, neither can they. Local motor vehicle bureaus keep track of recall compliance.

2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 reservations closed

Reservation slots for the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 are gone. As is the case with just about every vehicle that can be reserved, regardless of cost, there weren't enough slots to satisfy the initial rush. Carscoops noticed the situation first, getting confirmation from GMC that the only avenue remaining for now is to get on a waitlist. GMC's page for the Sierra EV affirms the same, declaring "Reservations are currently full" for the Denali Edition 1. Doing so meant putting down a $100 refundable deposit, a nominal sum that anyone could back out of, but we know by now that market conditions mean between reservation holders and the waitlist there are plenty who will conclude the transaction. Duncan Aldred, head of GMC and Buick, said so himself, telling Automotive News, "It's pretty amazing. A few years ago, when we were planning Hummer, the amount of vehicles sold over $100,000 in the entire industry was not that many. Now, that has radically changed in the last three years. There's been a rapid increase in vehicle prices and there's been an even quicker rise at the top end. We expect to sell out really quite quickly." The Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 comes loaded with quilted seats, real wood trim, Super Cruise, and two motors making a combined 754 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque, and starts at $108,695. We don't have a number to put to the phrase "sell out," though. As GM did with the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Silverado EV, reps wouldn't divulge production caps. Aldred did admit that the reservation number is below 10,000. Two more Sierra EV trims are coming, but they're not due until 2025. That starts with the base Elevation trim bringing an MSRP around $50,000. Note, that MSRP is the prediction now. Three years is a long way away. When reservations open to the public for the standard Sierra EV Denali expected in 2024 and the following trims, GMC plans to keep a tight lid on the pot. Remember, with the Hummer EV, GMC took so many reservations that current production rates mean the automaker won't clear the list for years. Production rates will climb, certainly. However, GM builds the pickups and its Cruise Origin delivery vehicle at its Factory Zero, and there are already 110,000 Silverado EV reservations alone to get through.

Regular-cab, short-bed Chevy Silverado Trail Boss pickup looks great

For all the wild popularity of full-size pickups, there's one configuration that U.S. buyers are no longer offered: the regular-cab, short-bed truck. Interestingly, however, GM still does make this configuration, and both the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra are offered with it — in the Mexican market. That body style, however, is available solely in ultra-basic work-truck form. But a custom wheel shop, JC Wheels in the Mexican city of Culiacan, has converted one of these Silverados to Trail Boss trim, and we're digging the result. The sporty shorty Silverado Trail Boss comes to our attention via GM Authority, after the shop posted it on their Instagram feed. The shop added a 3-inch lift, assist steps, Chevy alloy wheels, a Trail Boss front fascia including red tow hooks, and Trail Boss badging. They also added dark window tint, which seems like a good idea in sunny Mexico. In the U.S., the Silverado Trail Boss isn't offered at all in regular-cab form; it only can be had as a double cab or a crew cab, the latter with a choice of a short bed or standard bed. But size is often a hindrance for trucks that actually get driven on trails, where this regular-cab, short-bed variant's smaller wheelbase would be an advantage. Beyond that, the Trail Boss upgrades keep this configuration from looking like a basic-spec machine. That's even more true of the same outfit's previous efforts: the conversion of the GMC Sierra regular-cab, short-bed pickup into a Denali. With so many buyers choosing pickups as personal-use vehicles, it's not hard to think that this configuration could find an audience here. But the key would be to do as this Mexican firm has done and offer it in the desirable off-road and luxury trims, rather than as a basic work truck. Would you buy one? Sound off in the comments below. The next step would be to use this configuration as the basis of a full-size, two-door SUV, in the mold of the classic Chevy K5 Blazer and GMC Jimmy.