GM Recalls 90,000 Vehicles Built With Ford-Designed Transmissions

If your car’s wheels randomly lock up at speed, it can be a very dangerous situation. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s happening to a range of GM’s vehicles, with a costly recall now required to solve the issue. What makes it interesting is that GM is having this problem with cars equipped with transmission co-developed with Ford.

The automaker first issued an recall over this matter last year, with over 460,000 trucks and SUVs potentially at risk of randomly locking up their rear wheels. Now, it seems that a very similar issue has reared its head in a completely separate line of GM’s cars. As reported by NBC News, a further 90,000 units are potentially affected.

This time around, it’s the 2020-2022 Chevrolet Camaro that’s apparently at risk of sudden lockups, potentially causing loss of control. Also on the list are the 2020-2021 Cadillac CT4 and CT5, and the 2019-2020 Cadillac CT6. The affected models were built between 2019 to 2022. Depending on the drivetrain configuration—all-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive—they’re subject to sudden random lockups of the front or rear wheels.

According to documents filed with NHTSA, the recall covers “certain 2019-2020 Cadillac CT6, 2020-2021 CT4, CT5, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles equipped with a 10-speed transmission.” In affected vehicles, a transmission control valve may reach a point of excessive wear, leading to a loss of pressure in the hydraulic control circuit. This can lead to harsh gearshifts which may in some cases cause a momentary locking of the wheels. It’s estimated 1% of the total population is at risk of the defect.

Notably, GM first became aware of this issue in September last year, due to a 2021 Cadillac CT5 that had a momentary lockup incident. In that case, the vehicle locked both front tires before the transmission switched into neutral, with the engine and front differential later replaced due to damage incurred in the incident. NHTSA records indicate GM investigated, and considered that the issue only concerned harsh downshifts and a “momentary” lockup of the wheels less than 150 milliseconds in duration. Deeming this to be insufficient to cause a crash, it deferred further action. However, the case was later reopened in November, with GM identifying 115 reports of sudden lock-ups, including “one alleged accident.” This prompted GM to issue a safety recall.

GM doesn’t have a direct fix for excessive valve wear in the transmission. Instead, the recall work will involve dealers installing new software in the transmission control module. This software will monitor the performance of the transmission control valve in question, and issue a warning if excess wear is detected via lower running pressure. GM believes the software should detect the problem around 10,000 miles before there is any risk of a lockup condition. When excessive wear is detected, the transmission will be limited to fifth gear for safety, as the lockup issue occurs during downshifts from eighth gear. Warning lights will then illuminate on the dash to indicate transmission repair is required.

This might all sound very familiar to you—and for good reason. Last year, we reported on GM’s initial Canadian recall in November, issued for sudden wheel lock ups at speed. NHTSA issued a recall in the US market, too. It affected a wide range of the company’s trucks and SUVs, including the GMC Sierra and Yukon, the Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe, and the Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV. The recall targeted only diesel-engined models built from 2020 to 2021, which still covered a mighty 461,839 units in total. GM stated at that gas-engined models used different transmissions that weren’t subject to the same failure.

Incidentally—those vehicles recalled last year use the same family of transmissions as those recalled today. The initial recall targeted GM vehicles built with the 10L80 transmission. It appears the new recall has now been extended to further vehicles using other transmissions in the 10L family; particularly the 10L90 and potentially even the 10L60 used in the V6 Camaro. The Autopian has contacted GM for more specific information in this regard.

Amusingly, these transmissions were the result of a collaboration between GM and Ford. As Car and Driver notes, The Blue Oval took the lead on the 10-speed design, using it’s 10R80 version in vehicles like the Ford Mustang and F-150 and the Lincoln Navigator. Meanwhile, GM took the design and employed it in so many of the vehicles already mentioned above. For its part of the bargain, GM designed a nine-speed version and in turn offered it to Ford, but the Michigan automaker famously turned it down and went a different route instead.

While Ford led the design of the 10-speed automatic, each company has been responsible for building its own transmissions. Thus, it’s difficult to say at this point whether the issue is a design problem or something caused by how GM manufactured the transmissions. However, it is worth noting that Ford’s version of the transmission hasn’t been trouble-free, either. Lawsuits have been filed regarding the transmission’s harsh shifting and even sudden loss of power.

GM will be notifying owners starting in April. If your vehicle is affected, it’s well worth ensuring you get the recall work done so you get early warning of any transmission issues before they occur.

Image credits: GM