GMC's Sierra pickup truck is affected by an… unusual problem. The company is recalling some 70,000 2022 Sierras due to an issue with their front grille. Namely, a part of the grille could detach from the vehicle and fall off. This can happen while the vehicle is on the road, which poses a risk to other road users, to be sure.
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an upper part of the grille attached to the Sierra's hood and which holds the grille's chrome deflector in place, could break, causing it to fall off the grille.
GMC estimates about 3 percent of the 70,768 vehicles targeted by the recall actually have the defect.
The recall affects only 2022 model-year Sierra 1500 pickup trucks equipped with a chrome grille, so those with another type of grille are not subject to recall.
General Motors (GM) is working on a solution for the issue. In the meantime, dealers have been asked not to sell units that could potentially have the problem.
The company says it’s aware of 1,225 incident reports linked to the defect, and at least four cases of accidents related to the problem.
Standalone replacement parts are reportedly available, but it’s not clear whether they fix the problem. Some Sierra owners claim online that the only valid solution at the moment is a complete replacement of the grille.
The recall does not yet appear on Transport Canada's website, meaning we have no numbers yet for our market. We will update this story with information from Canada as it becomes available.