Product Safety Recall N182206311 Diesel Engine Block Heater Cord – 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado & GMC Sierra

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Product Safety Recall
N182206311 Diesel Engine Block Heater Cord

Release Date:   January 2020                                                        Revision:    04

Revision Description: This bulletin has been revised to update the service procedure.  Please discard all previous copies of bulletin N182206311-03.

Involved vehicles are marked open in the Investigate Vehicle History screen in GM Global Warranty Management system.  This site should always be checked to confirm vehicle involvement prior to beginning any required inspections and/or repairs.   

Condition

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 20172019 model year Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 vehicles, certain 2017-2019 model year GMC Sierra 2500/3500 vehicles and certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4500/5500/6500. In vehicles equipped with the Duramax diesel 6.6 liter engine and the optional engine-block heater cord, a short-circuit condition may develop in the engine-block heater cable or in the terminals that connect the heater cable to the block heater. A short-circuit condition can cause damage to engine components and, in rare cases, start a fire in the engine compartment.

Correction

For Silverado 2500/3500 and Sierra 2500/3500: Dealers are to replace the engine-block heater and cord.   For Silverado 4500/5500/6500: Dealers are to replace the engine-block heater.  For Silverado 2500/3500 and Sierra 2500/3500 INVENTORY Units: Dealers are to cut the heater cord and place the customer disclosure in plain view inside the vehicle prior to sale.  For customer vehicles, you do not need to disable the engine-block heater.  If the customer requests the disable procedure be completed, you may proceed but advising the customer to NOT use the block heater cord is sufficient.

Parts

Parts for Enabling Engine-Block Heater on Silverado and GMC 2500/3500 (PN 19419326)

Important: An initial supply of part 19419326 will be pre-shipped in a Fair Share Allocation based on all impacted VINS of the Dealers registered in States: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Dakota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Canada. This pre-shipment started the week of 10/1/19 and will continue for several weeks.  Additional States will be added as parts become available, currently limited supply of parts.  Pre-shipped parts will be charged to dealer’s open parts account. All orders placed prior to and during the pre-ship will be cancelled. A quantity limiter may be in effect.

Note: The per gallon part number for coolant is listed in the part table. If your facility buys the correct coolant in a bulk quantity, do not order the gallon units.

Reminder: Parts may be removed from Retail Inventory Management (RIM) management. Dealers should review the affected parts to confirm RIM managed status.

Parts for Enabling Engine-Block Heater on Chevrolet Silverado 4500/5500/6500 Medium Duty (PN 12705875)

Parts required to complete this repair are to be obtained from General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales (GMCC&A).  Please refer to your “involved vehicles listing” before ordering parts.  Order parts on a CSO = Customer Special Order only. DRO’s may be cancelled.  Place the VIN # in the notes field of the order.  If there is no VIN or the VIN doesn’t fit a VIN on this population your order will be cancelled.  All orders will be reviewed prior to being filled with customers sold vehicles having priority.

Important: Due to limited initial parts availability, dealers are encouraged not to order these parts for use as shelf stock.

Note: The per gallon part number for coolant is listed in the part table. If your facility buys the correct coolant in a bulk quantity, do not order the gallon units.

Parts for Disabling Engine-Block Heater on Silverado 2500/3500 and Sierra 2500/3500 No parts are required for this repair.

Warranty Information

Caution: There are separate procedures for the Silverado/Sierra 2500/3500 and the Silverado 4500/5500/6500 trucks. The procedures are NOT interchangeable between the two.    Service Procedure Silverado 4500/5500/6500 (Medium Duty) – Enabling Engine-Block Heater Note: This service procedure does NOT apply to the Silverado/Sierra 2500/3500 Heavy Duty.   

Danger: When performing the following repairs, ensure the engine and coolant are at room temperature. When removing the engine block heater, the coolant in the engine will drain out. This coolant may injure the technician if the coolant is hot.

Note: Some vehicles may have had the engine coolant heater power cord sealed and secured at the time of manufacture or under a previous campaign. If the heater power cord is not sealed and secured, proceed directly to step #4.

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1. From underneath the vehicle, locate the engine coolant heater power cord. It is on the front passenger side of the engine block. Cut the wire tie securing the engine block heater power cable. Remove and discard the wire tie. (shown without the shrink tube installed).

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TIP: A seam ripper is a good example of the type of tool used in the following step.

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2. Using an appropriate cutting tool, carefully slice the shrink tube from the power cord. Use care to cut away from the harness itself to ensure that you do not cut into the harness or body of the connector.
3. Inspect the connector cavities and mating surface for any heat shrink tube adhesive. Carefully remove the adhesive if required.

Note: It is not necessary to drain the radiator. The engine block coolant will be drained when the engine coolant heater is removed.

4. Place a large drain pan under the work area. Remove the engine coolant heater. Refer to Engine Coolant Heater Replacement (L5D) in SI.
5. After removing the original block heater, take care to remove the old cured thread sealant in the block. Failure to remove the old thread sealant will result in cross threading the replacement block heater. 

Note: The new engine coolant heater element has the thread sealer applied at the time of manufacture. DO NOT INSTALL ADDITIONAL SEALER to the threads.

6. Hand start the block heater carefully and secure at least 3 full turns before further tightening with a socket wrench.
7. Install the replacement engine coolant heater. Refer to Engine Coolant Heater Replacement (L5D) in SI.

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8. Plug the engine coolant heater cord assembly into the heater and secure it with the metal clip. Be certain the metal retaining clip is secured onto to the deeper of the two grooves.
9. Fill the cooling system. Refer to Cooling System Draining and Filling (Vac N Fill) in SI.

Service Procedure Silverado/Sierra 2500/3500 – Enabling Engine-Block Heater

Note: This service procedure does NOT apply to the Chevrolet Silverado 4500/5500/6500 Medium Duty.

This service procedure only applies to vehicles currently registered or previously registered in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Canada.

DANGER: When performing the following repairs, ensure the engine and coolant are at room temperature. When removing the engine block heater, the coolant in the engine will drain out. This coolant may injure the technician if the coolant is hot.

Note: Some vehicles may have had the engine block heater power cord removed under a previous campaign. If the power cord has been removed, proceed directly to step #3.

1. Raise the hood and locate the engine heater power cord (bundled at the right-side front of dash area).

NOTE: Some attachment points may use tape to secure the power cord to the vehicle wiring harness. Use care to not cut the vehicle wiring harness when removing these attachment points

2. Locate and remove all of engine compartment power cord attachment points. Route the engine heater power cord assembly to the underside of the vehicle and let it drop.
3. Raise the vehicle and remove the right front wheel. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation (8-Lug Wheel) in SI.

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4. Looking through the area between the wheel house liner and the suspension, locate the engine block heater.
5. Disconnect the engine block heater plug from the heater element by releasing the retainer clip and unplugging.
6. Remove any existing engine heater power cord fasteners and remove the power cord. Discard the power cord.

Note: it is not necessary to drain the radiator. The engine block coolant will be drained when the engine coolant heater is removed.

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7. Place a large drain pan under the vehicle to capture the coolant. Remove the engine coolant heater. Refer to Engine Coolant Heater Replacement (L5P) in SI.
8. After removing the original block heater, take care to remove the old cured thread sealant in the block. Failure to remove the old thread sealant will result in cross threading the replacement block heater.

Note: The new engine block heater element has the thread sealer applied at the time of manufacture. DO NOT INSTALL ADDITIONAL SEALER to the threads.

9. Hand start the block heater carefully and secure at least 3 full turns before further tightening with a socket wrench.
10. Install the replacement engine coolant heater. Refer to Engine Coolant Heater Replacement (L5P) in SI.

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11. Plug the new engine coolant heater cord assembly into the heater and secure it with the metal clip. Be certain the metal retaining clip is secured onto to the deeper of the two grooves.

12. Route the new engine coolant heater power cord (red) to the upper motor compartment. Secure the power cord to the existing wiring harness with a wire tie as shown. Begin at the Element (1) and secure the wire tie (2) around the negative battery cable (black) and the engine chassis harness (grey).
13. Reinstall the right front wheel and tire. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation (8-Lug Wheel) in SI.
14. Lower the vehicle.
15. Route the power cord as shown and secure to the surge tank hose (blue) with a wire tie. Engine Compartment Routing Overview

Push pin attachments (1), wire tie attachments (2). 

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16. Position the power cord along the inner fender and secure to the existing hole using the first (closest to the heater element) push pin wire tie attached to the harness.

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17. Secure the power cord to the fender flange with a wire tie as shown. Some vehicles may have a hood seal or headlamp attachment at this location. Position the wire the under the seal/bracket.

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18. Locate the drill location on the front compartment site-shield. Mark the location.

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19. Drill a 5mm (13/64 in.) hole in the marked area. Use care to not damage components below the drill location.
20. Route the power cord from the fender flange area under the front compartment site shield.

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21. Create a gentle bend in the power cord and place the power cord plug over the hole in the site shield. Ensure the prongs on the power cord plug are facing toward the right fender.

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22. Secure the power cord plug to the to the front compartment shield with a wire tie as shown.

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23. Locate the hole on the passenger side upper tie bar bracket.

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24. Position the harness up under the front compartment site shield and secure it using the second (closest to the electrical plug) push pin wire tie on the harness.
25. Trim all wire ties as necessary.
26. Fill the cooling system. Refer to Cooling System Draining and Filling (Vac N Fill) in SI.

Service Procedure Silverado/Sierra 2500/3500 Inventory Units – Disabling Engine-Block Heater

Note: This service procedure does NOT apply to the Chevrolet Silverado 4500/5500/6500 Medium Duty.

This service procedure only applies to the regions EXCLUDED from the cold weather areas referenced in the attention box and is only to be performed on INVENTORY units.

1. Raise the vehicle and remove the right front wheel. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation (8-Lug Wheel) in SI.

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2. Looking through the area between the wheel house liner and the suspension, locate the engine block heater.

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3. Using a pair of wire cutters, cut the engine block heater power cord from the connector. Cut the cord as close as possible to the connector.
4. With the vehicle still raised, locate and remove any power cord attachments accessible from the underside of the vehicle.
5. Reinstall the right front wheel. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation (8-Lug Wheel) in SI.
6. With the vehicle lowered, raise the hood and locate the remainder of the engine heater power cord (it should be bundled at the right-side front of dash area).
7. Locate and remove all of the attachment points. Remove the complete engine heater power cord assembly.
8. Discard the power cord assembly.
9. Print the disclosure letter and place it inside the vehicle in plain view.

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Dealer Responsibility – For USA & Export (USA States, Territories, and Possessions)

It is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle or any new or used item of motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) covered by this notification under a sale or lease until the defect or noncompliance is remedied.

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that is subject to a recall of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the customer has tendered it for repair.  A failure to repair within sixty days after tender of a vehicle is prima facie evidence of failure to repair within a reasonable time.  If the condition is not adequately repaired within a reasonable time, the customer may be entitled to an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle at no charge or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable allowance for depreciation.  To avoid having to provide these burdensome remedies, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each customer and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible.  In the recall notification letters, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed within a reasonable time.

Dealer Responsibility – All

All GM Certified Used vehicles currently in the dealers’ inventory within the Certified Pre-Owned Inventory System (CPOIS) will be de-certified and must be held and remedied per the service procedure in this bulletin.  Upon submitting an accepted/paid warranty transaction in the Global Warranty Management (GWM) system, the vehicle can be re-certified for sale within the CPOIS system, or once again be used in the CTP program.

Dealers are to disable vehicles in USED inventory prior to sales.

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this recall enters your vehicle inventory, you must take the steps necessary to be sure this disable procedure has been completed before selling or releasing the vehicle.

Customer Notification

USA & Canada – General Motors will notify customers of this recall on their vehicle.

Export – Letters will be sent to known owners of record located within areas covered by the US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

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