GM 6.2L Engine Recall Could Get Bigger After New NHTSA Investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is supercharging its investigation into General Motors' 6.2-liter L87 V8 engines in the U.S. after receiving additional complaints of engine bearing failures in vehicles that fall outside the scope of the recall issued earlier this year.
Key Points
- NHTSA has escalated its probe into 286,000 GM vehicles equipped with the 6.2-liter L87 V8 engine after receiving over 1,100 reports of engine bearing failures, even after an earlier recall.
- The issue impacts Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, as well as Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon/Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade models built between 2019 and 2024.
- NHTSA’s new Engineering Analysis aims to determine if GM’s prior recall failed to capture all affected vehicles, as hundreds of failures have been reported outside the original recall scope.
The affected engines are found in several GM models, including the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV. NHTSA's latest report suggests the GM's engine issue may extend to a much larger pool of vehicles.
The original recall issued in late April captured 721,000 full-size vehicles produced between March 1, 2021, and May 31, 2024. NHTSA says it's now looking into an additional 286,051 vehicles from model years 2019 to 2021, along with some 2024 vehicles produced beyond the cutoff date, after receiving an additional 1,157 complaints.
NHTSA has decided to escalate the matter to a full engineering analysis before deciding whether the scope of the recall should be enlarged.
The safety regulator said the goal of the expanded probe is to “fully assess the scope and severity of the potential problem” and determine whether additional vehicles outside the initial recall need to be included. GM has not yet commented on the engineering analysis, but previously pointed to supplier manufacturing and quality issues as the cause of the recall.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation first opened a preliminary evaluation in January 2025 after multiple owners reported sudden engine failures. GM traced the issue to manufacturing defects in the connecting rods and crankshafts, which could lead to catastrophic engine failure. GM manufactures the 6.2L L87 V8 engine at Tonawanda Propulsion, the company's longstanding engine assembly plant in Buffalo, N.Y.
Owners concerned about whether their vehicle is affected can visit NHTSA.gov and search for ODI Report Identification Number EA25-001 for more details and updates.
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An experienced automotive storyteller and accomplished photographer known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge—he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR race cars, ziptied Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars back together, been over the wall during the Rolex 24, and worked in the intense world of IndyCar.
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I still blame the automatic shutdown
This is what many of us feared, that the initial recall period might not be nearly broad enough to cover at risk vehicles. This power plant is proof you can take a solid design and make it anything but simply by not paying attention to quality, chasing CAFE numbers, and cutting costs throughout that process. These kind of fail points should be weeded out and corrected before producing, perhaps, nearly a million vehicles. I've lost faith in GM. It's a statement the latest Corvettes are so good which is because they're designed, built, and tested in a very separate eco-system within GM. Mainstream GM is very broken.