735 examples of the 2022-2023 GMC Hummer EV could have improperly sealed battery packs.
General Motors launched a new recall due to the possibility water could make its way into the high-voltage battery pack enclosure, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Flanges on the Magna International-manufactured packs may not be correctly primed or electrocoated, which GM says inhibits adhesion of the enclosure’s urethane sealant.
This issue also affects the 2022 BrightDrop EV600 van, in addition to the GMC Hummer EV pickup.
“GM is aware of three confirmed reports of this condition causing water to enter the pack,” the automaker said in its disclosure to the NHTSA. “In two of the cases, the vehicle would not start. In the third case, the vehicle lost propulsion while driving. A loss of propulsion while driving can increase the risk of a crash.” The report also says drivers may also see one or more malfunction lights, and the driver information center will display a warning message.
Specific recall data
The 735 GMC Hummer EV trucks affected by this recall were built between November 9, 2021, and September 28, 2022. The 89 BrightDrop EV600s in the recall population were built between March 3, 2022 and Jun 24, 2022. At this time, GM noted it is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fatalities related to the issue. The two vehicles that would not start were customer vehicles, while an internal test vehicle lost power while testing at the automaker’s Milford Proving Grounds.
According to the filings, 1% of the total recall population is affected by improperly sealed battery packs. Nevertheless, the potential for water egress and loss of power while driving is a serious safety concern. To that end, GM is recalling all trucks it thinks may have this issue, and is issuing a separate FAQ document to dealers on how to address the problem. The automaker says it is working on a fix, but does not currently have a remedy available, as of October 25, 2022.
In the meantime, GM has issued a stop-sale on the GMC Hummer EV and advised dealers not to attempt repairs until an official fix is ready. The company will notify affected owners by mail on November 28, 2022. Second letters will be sent out once a remedy is available. The NHTSA assigned the recall number 22V-771 to this campaign, and you can find out more on their website.
GM’s number for this Hummer EV recall is N222380031.
What about TFL’s Hummer EV?
While the issue above comes straight from the NHTSA documents, some of you may be wondering about our recent situation. For those who aren’t in the know, we experienced an issue where our recently purchased GMC Hummer EV broke down while Roman was driving it back to TFL HQ.
To the best of our knowledge, this issue is not why our Hummer malfunctioned. What’s more, our local GMC dealer was able to sort out the issue — more on that above. According to GM’s recall center website, our truck is not part of the recall population at time of writing. However, we will provide an update when the automaker announces a fix for this issue, and whether or truck is indeed part of the 735 units affected by an improperly sealed battery pack.
This is not the GMC Hummer EV’s first water-related recall campaign, either. In early August, GM voluntarily recalled 424 units of the Hummer EV and Zevo 600 van due to high-voltage connectors that could corrode, as reported by GM Authority. In that case (recall number N222362090), the fix involved applying sealant to the connector to inhibit water ingress and corrosion.
