- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expanding its investigation into General Motors’ 6.2-liter L87 V8 engine.
- The agency has received 499 complaints that vehicles recalled with the remedy are experiencing engine failures.
- NHTSA is also investigating L87 engines produced after the period cited in the recall after receiving 191 reports of L87 failures in engines produced after May 2024.
General Motors’ 6.2-liter L87 V8 engine continues to create headaches for the Detroit automaker. Last year, it issued a recall for almost 600,000 vehicles equipped with this engine. Then in January, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began investigating the remedy’s effectiveness. Now, the agency is expanding its reach.
NHTSA announced yesterday that it will open an Engineering Analysis to further investigate the solution and will begin examining engines produced after the production period cited in the recall. The new investigation includes the following vehicles:
- Cadillac Escalade 2021-2026
- 2021-2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- Chevrolet Suburban 2021-2026
- Chevrolet Tahoe 2021-2026
- 2021-2026 GMC Sierra
- 2021-2026 GMC Yukon/Yukon XL
According to the agency, its Defects Investigation Office has received 499 complaints of engine failures in vehicles that GM has supposedly already repaired. When the automaker recalled the vehicles, it offered two solutions: higher viscosity oil or engine replacement.
Of the nearly 500 complaints, 473 received new oil while 26 had complete engine replacements. The agency also received 191 reports of L87 failures in engines produced after May 2024, while the automaker reported receiving 6,953 post-repair complaints.
The expanded investigation affects 997,743 vehicles.
GM’s engine headache
General Motors closed its first investigation into the L87 in 2022. It opened and closed a second investigation in 2023 and a third in 2024. It was not until the fourth investigation opened in January 2025 that resulted in the recall.
During that time, the automaker received 28,102 complaints related to failures with the 6.2-liter engine. Of those, more than half alleged that the vehicle lost power, increasing the risk of an accident or injury.
In the latest investigation, GM identified quality and manufacturing problems with suppliers. These included out-of-spec crankshaft dimensions, connecting rod bearing damage, and more.
