Product Safety Recall N212329840 Engine Heater Short Circuit - 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado & GMC Sierra 2500/3500

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July 1, 2021 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V496000

Short Circuit In Engine Block Heater Cable

An electrical short-circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V496

Manufacturer General Motors, LLC

Components EQUIPMENT

Potential Number of Units Affected 331,274

Summary

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500 and 2017-2019 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with a Duramax diesel 6.6 liter engine and an optional engine-block heater cord. An electrical short-circuit may occur in the engine-block heater cable or in the terminals that connect the heater cable to the block heater.

Remedy

Dealers will replace engine block heaters and heater cords. Vehicles that have this feature disabled as a remedy to the safety condition will be contacted and offered replacement block heaters and heater cords under a separate customer satisfaction program, free of charge. GM will provide free replacement block heaters and cords under a separate customer satisfaction campaign. For vehicles previously included in recall 19V-328, the heater cord will be replaced and rerouted, free of charge. Interim owner notifications were mailed on August 13, 2021. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on April 4, 2022. Customers may call GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM’s number for this recall is 212329840.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Check if your Vehicle has a Recall

Condition

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2017-2019 model year Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 and GMC Sierra 2500/3500 vehicles. 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

Dealers are to replace the engine-block heater and cord.

Parts

Quantity	Part Name	Part No.
1	Engine Coolant Heater	12724955
1	Power Cord – Engine Coolant Heater	85590391
2	Dex-Cool Engine Coolant US	12346290
	Dex-Cool Engine CoolantCanada Obtain locally in compliance w/ GM spec GMW3420 and Material Specification 9985809 (all other countries)	10953464
4	Locally Sourced Automotive Quality Wire Tie	NPN

NOTICE TO CUSTOMER

This vehicle is equipped with an engine-block heater that is affected by a recently announced

GM safety recall. On July 1, 2021, GM notified the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration and Transport Canada that a short-circuit condition could develop in the engineblock heater cable or in the terminals that connect the 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.

Because this condition can only occur when the engine-block heater is on, your dealer has performed a repair on this vehicle that has rendered the engine-block heater temporarily inoperable. GM is developing a final repair that will restore the functionality of the engine-block heater. When this repair is available, you will receive a letter to return to the dealer to receive the repair.

If you sell this vehicle, you should provide this notice to the buyer of your vehicle. Please also retain a copy of this notice in the vehicle’s glove compartment.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please contact your dealer or the appropriate Customer Assistance Center at the number listed below.

Division	Number	Text Telephones (TTY)
Chevrolet	1-800-222-1020	1-800-833-2438
GMC	1-800-462-8782	1-800-889-2438
Puerto Rico – English	1-800-496-9992
Puerto Rico – Español	1-800-496-9993
Virgin Islands	1-800-496-9994

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for SafetyRecall N212329840
Engine Block Heater Short Circuit

These questions and answers are being provided to help GM dealers respond to inquiries from involved vehicle owners about the Safety recall identified above.

Q1) Which vehicles are involved?

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2017-2019 model year Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 and GMC Sierra 2500/3500 vehicles.

Q2) What is the issue or condition?

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.

Q3) What symptoms may be experienced? What warning signs may be associated with the issue or condition described?

The customer may notice: (i) smoke or a burning smell; (ii) poor block-heater performance; (iii) tripped circuit breakers or blown vehicle fuses; (iv) damage to the block heater, the heater cable, or engine components; and (v) block-heater coolant pooling under the vehicle”.

Q4) What is the remedy/repair?

Dealers are to replace the engine-block heater and cord.

Q5) What is the safety risk? Is the vehicle safe to drive?

A short-circuit condition can cause damage to engine components and, in rare cases, start a fire in the engine compartment.

Q6) Does the customer have to pay for this remedy/repair?

No, this inspection/repair will be done at no cost to the customer.

Q7) Is the remedy/repair available now?

Yes, please see the attached bulletin for details.

Q8) What should customers do until recall repairs can be completed? Are there any special instructions?

If special instructions are provided, they will be included in the notification letters to customers.

Q9) How can customers check to see if their vehicle is involved in this field action?

Customers who own a vehicle involved in the field action will be notified by mail by General Motors, but they may also check their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for field actions in GM Owner Center at https://my.gm.com/recalls or via NHTSA’s website at https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/.

Q10) If customers are concerned, can they get a rental car or courtesy transportation?

Courtesy transportation is available for customers whose vehicles are involved in this recall and are within the warranty coverage period for the warranty which is associated with this recall. Please refer to Warranty Administration Bulletin #17-NA-073: Field Action Courtesy Transportation Policy for further information.

SEOCONTENT-START

IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL
August 2021
This notice applies to your vehicle, VIN: __________________________________
Dear General Motors Customer:
This notice is sent to you in accordance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2017-2019 model year Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 and GMC Sierra 2500/3500 vehicles equipped with the Duramax diesel 6.6 liter engine and optional engine-block heater cord. As a result, GM is conducting a safety recall. We apologize for this inconvenience. However, we are concerned about your safety and continued satisfaction with our products.
IMPORTANT***You may have already had a recall repair previously performed on your vehicle under GM recall N182206310 or N182206311. General Motors has determined that additional repairs are necessary to make the block heater on your vehicle safe to use.
Until a remedy to fully repair your vehicle is available and performed, you should not use your vehicle’s engine-block heater.
IMPORTANT
• Your vehicle is involved in GM safety recall N212329840.
• You may have already had a recall repair previously performed on your vehicle under GM recall N182206310 or N182206311. General Motors has determined that additional repairs are necessary to make the block heater on your vehicle safe to use.
• Regardless of whether or not you have previously had a recall repair performed on your vehicle, you should not use your vehicle’s engine block heater until further repairs are performed.
Why is your vehicle being recalled?
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 start a fire in the engine compartment.
What will we do?
Parts to repair your vehicle are not currently available, but when parts are available, your GM dealer will replace the block heater and heater cord. This service will be performed for you at no charge. Until this repair is performed on your vehicle, you should not use your vehicle’s engine-block heater.
We are working as quickly as possible to correct this condition. When parts are available, we will send you another letter asking you to take your vehicle to your GM dealer to have your vehicle serviced. You can also check the status of this recall at: https://my.gm.com/recalls. If you have already paid for repairs for this condition, you may submit those charges using the reimbursement request form that will be provided with the next letter.
Until this repair is performed on your vehicle, you should not use your vehicle’s engine-block heater.
Do you have questions?
If you have questions or concerns that your dealer is unable to resolve, please contact the appropriate Customer Assistance Center at the number listed below.
Division
Number
Text Telephones (TTY)
Chevrolet
1-800-630-2438
1-800-833-2438
GMC
1-866-996-9463
1-800-462-8583
Puerto Rico – English
1-800-496-9992
Puerto Rico – Español
1-800-496-9993
Virgin Islands
1-800-496-9994
If after contacting your dealer and the Customer Assistance Center, you are still not satisfied we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge and within a reasonable time, you may wish to write the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, or call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1.888.327.4236 (TTY 1.800.424.9153), or go to https://www.safercar.gov. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Campaign ID Number for this recall is 21V496.
Federal regulation requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.
Regina Carto
Vice President
Global Vehicle Safety and Systems
GM Recall: N212329840*************************************************************************************************************

GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
DCS6009
URGENT – DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY
Date: December 17, 2021
Subject: REVISION – N212329840-01 – Safety Recall
Engine Heater Short Circuit
Revised Service Procedure
Models: 2017 – 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500
2017 – 2019 GMC Sierra 2500/3500
Equipped with 6.6L Diesel Engine (RPO L5P)
To: All General Motors Dealers
This bulletin is being revised to include the procedure to enable the engine-block heater for northern/cold weather areas only. Please discard all previous copies of N212329840.
Important: An initial supply of part 12724955 (HEATER ASM-ENG COOL) and 85590391 (CORD ASM-ENG COOL HTR) will be pre-shipped in a Fair Share Allocation based on all impacted VINS of the Dealers registered in Canada and the following states: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Dakota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming. This pre-shipment starts the week of 12/20/21 and will continue for several weeks. Additional States will be added as GM finishes shipping to Canada and cold weather states and more parts become available. 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.
Please verify a VIN’s involvement in this field action by checking in IVH prior to doing any repairs. IVH is the best source for individual VIN inquiries.
END OF MESSAGE
GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS

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GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
DCS5880
URGENT – DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY
Date: July 28, 2021
Subject: N212329840 – Safety Recall
Engine Heater Short Circuit
Population Expansion
Models: 2017 – 2019 Silverado 2500/3500
2017 – 2019 Sierra 2500/3500
Equipped with 6.6L Diesel Engine (RPO L5P)
To: All General Motors Dealers
On July 1, 2021, General Motors released Safety Recall N212329840 for Engine Heater Short Circuit. Additional 2017 – 2019 model year Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 and GMC Sierra 2500/3500 vehicles have been added to this Safety Recall.
Question and Answer Document (Q&A)
Attached to this message you will find a document that addresses the ten most likely questions customers may have regarding this Safety Recall. Please use this information as an aid to confidently answer customer concerns.
Global Warranty Management (GWM)
The Required Field Action section on the Investigate Vehicle History (IVH) screen is updated.
END OF MESSAGE
GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS

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GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
DCS6081
URGENT – DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY
Date: March 15, 2022
Subject: REVISION: N212329840-02 – Safety Recall
Engine Heater Short Circuit
Models: 2017 – 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500
2017 – 2019 GMC Sierra 2500/3500
Equipped with 6.6L, 8-cylinder diesel engine (RPO L5P)
To: All General Motors Dealers
This bulletin is being revised to allow all locations to perform the full repair and to add the customer letter. Please discard all previous copies of N212349840.
The customer mailing will begin in April 2022.
END OF MESSAGE
GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS

*************************************************************************************************************

GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
DCS5857
URGENT – DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY
Date: July 1, 2021
Subject: N212329840 – Safety Recall
Engine Heater Short Circuit
Models: 2017 – 2019 Silverado 2500/3500
2017 – 2019 Sierra 2500/3500
Equipped with 6.6L Diesel Engine (RPO L5P)
To: All General Motors Dealers
General Motors is releasing Safety Recall N212329840 today. The total number of U.S. vehicles involved is approximately 322,541. Please see the attached bulletin for details.
VINs in Safety Recall N182206310, N182206311 (2017 – 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 and GMC Sierra 2500/3500) and VINs in Customer Satisfaction Program N192264210 will move into this Safety Recall.
Question and Answer Document (Q&A)
Attached to this message you will find a document that addresses the ten most likely questions customers may have regarding this Safety Recall. Please use this information as an aid to confidently answer customer concerns.
Global Warranty Management (GWM)
The Required Field Action section on the Investigate Vehicle History (IVH) screen will be updated July 2 day, 2021 or sooner. Please hold all warranty transactions until IVH has been updated.
END OF MESSAGE
GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS

*************************************************************************************************************

GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
DCS5857
URGENT – DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY
Date: July 1, 2021
Subject: N212329840 – Safety Recall
Engine Heater Short Circuit
Models: 2017 – 2019 Silverado 2500/3500
2017 – 2019 Sierra 2500/3500
Equipped with 6.6L Diesel Engine (RPO L5P)
To: All General Motors Dealers
General Motors is releasing Safety Recall N212329840 today. The total number of U.S. vehicles involved is approximately 322,541. Please see the attached bulletin for details.
VINs in Safety Recall N182206310, N182206311 (2017 – 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 and GMC Sierra 2500/3500) and VINs in Customer Satisfaction Program N192264210 will move into this Safety Recall.
This message is being resent to include the Notice to Customer and an updated bulletin.
Question and Answer Document (Q&A)
Attached to this message you will find a document that addresses the ten most likely questions customers may have regarding this Safety Recall. Please use this information as an aid to confidently answer customer concerns.
Global Warranty Management (GWM)
The Required Field Action section on the Investigate Vehicle History (IVH) screen will be updated July 2, 2021 or sooner. Please hold all warranty transactions until IVH has been updated.
END OF MESSAGE
GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS

*************************************************************************************************************

SEOCONTENT-END

12 Affected Products

Vehicles


MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
CHEVROLET	SILVERADO 2500	2017-2019
CHEVROLET	SILVERADO 3500	2017-2019
GMC	SIERRA 2500	2017-2019
GMC	SIERRA 3500	2017-2019

27 Associated Documents

Miscellaneous Document – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Safety Recall N212329840 Engine Block Heater Short Circuit

RMISC-21V496-3954.pdf 103.553KB

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Summary

Remedy

Notes

NOTICE TO CUSTOMER

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