US regulators expand probe into GM vehicles over brake failure reports
US safety regulators have widened an investigation into more than 1.1 million General Motors vehicles after receiving hundreds of reports of brake failures. The affected lineup includes several GM electric vehicles as well as models built for Honda and Acura.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has expanded its investigation into General Motors vehicles following hundreds of reports of brake failures. The issue affects more than 1.1 million vehicles, including several GM electric models as well as vehicles the company builds for Honda and Acura.
The technical issue
The defect involves the electronic brake-boost system GM calls eBoost, which can experience a spindle fracture while a vehicle is being driven. GM maintains that if this occurs, the car should retain several critical safety functions — antilock brakes, traction control, and stability control — at least until it comes to a full stop, after which those systems become inoperable.
However, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation says it has received numerous complaints that contradict this claim, with drivers reporting an immediate loss of braking ability right after an eBoost failure, posing an obvious safety hazard.
Scope of the reports
NHTSA has logged 227 incident reports directly, a figure that rises to 745 once reports submitted to GM are included. Twenty-two of these incidents resulted in crashes, with six people injured across five of those crashes. No fatalities have been reported.
Vehicles equipped with the eBoost system include the 2023–2026 model year Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Colorado, and GMC Canyon; the 2024–2026 model year Buick Enclave, Envision, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Equinox EV, Traverse, Cruise Origin, and GMC Acadia; and the 2025–2026 model year Cadillac Celestiq and Optiq. The agency also notes the system is present in the 2024–2026 model year Acura ZDX and Honda Prologue.
