GM recalling more than 300,000 2014 pickups for potential fire problem

(January 11, 2014) General Motors announced on Friday that it will recall 303,000 model year 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks sold in the U.S. to reprogram software to prevent fires in the engine compartment. Another 67,000 models sold in Canada and Mexico have also been recalled.

All the recalls affect trucks with 4.3-liter and 5.3-liter engines. The automaker said it has not seen the same problem in trucks with the 6.2-liter engine.

GM said a software glitch can cause overheating in the components of the exhaust system, possibly creating a fire. The automaker said it knows of eight fires from this condition, but no injuries. All occurred in areas with very cold weather, it said.  

GM is urging owners of the 2014 models to avoid leaving their trucks idling while unattended. GM said it is contacting customers to alert them of the problem, which often is signaled by a yellow "check engine light" and an "engine power reduced" message in the instrument panel.

GM said it has confirmed eight fires, including three customer-owned vehicles, and that no injuries have been reported. The fires occurred in areas with "very cold weather," GM said. Four of the fires occurred in trucks that were at GM dealerships and one was in a GM-owned vehicle.

Recall letters will be mailed out on Jan. 16, GM said. Customers can contact dealers to schedule appointments beginning early next week. The repair should take about 20 minutes.

Source: Press reports