General Motors Corp. is expanding a recall of sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks with possible antilock brake corrosion to include another 553,000 vehicles in six states and the District of Columbia.
The recall involves the 1999-2002 model years of the Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL.
GM said in August that it was recalling about 800,000 of the vehicles in 14 northern states, including Michigan. GM spokesman Alan Adler said Friday the recall will be expanded to include Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
Road grime can wedge its way into a plastic piece that covers the antilock brake sensor near the wheel hub, Adler said, resulting in salt corrosion. The corrosion leads to unwanted activation of the antilock brakes at low speeds, requiring a longer stopping distance.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation in late April of more than 1.2 million GM pickups and SUVs in 20 states because of questions over the antilock brakes.
Adler said the company decided to expand the recall based upon incident rates.
According to the most recent data available, there were 228 crashes reported through the end of May, including 10 minor injuries.
GM recalled about 150,000 pickups in eastern Canada in November 2004 from the same model years because of the condition in the antilock brakes.