A safety probe has been launched in the US after the small-block ‘L87’ V8 that powers the Chevrolet Silverado pickup and other General Motors models allegedly suffered failures even following a fix applied as part of a 2025 recall of 721,000 vehicles.
On January 16, 2026, the probe was issued by US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after 36 owners complained to the auto safety body that their vehicles had been ‘fixed’ during the previous recall and were claiming engine failure.
In the NHTSA notice, 36 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) have been filed against “The Office of Defects Investigation” (ODI), claiming engine failure in vehicles subject to Recall 25V-274”.
This is a Recall Query (RQ) to assess the quality of the remedy for Recalled 25V-274, as it has been described in each VOQ that the recall remedy was provided prior to the reported failure incident. Paraphrasingr ’It is.
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The US, nor Australia or New Zealand, has yet to issue a second recall (no newer) of the phrase. GM Australia and New Zealand (GMANZ), we’ve reached out to the for comment.
While it’s unclear whether the recall ‘fix’ was properly applied, and if any other issues have led to subsequent engine failures in L87-powered cars, it is not clear unless there has been separate problems.
The 2025 global recall impacted 721,000 vehicles fitted with the 6.2-litre V8 engine, including almost 10,000 vehicles in Australia and New Zealand.
It involved 2021-2024 Silverado 1500s sold in Australia and New Zealand. The Silverado 1500 was the second-best selling full-size pickup in Australia in 2025, behind the Ram 1500 but ahead of the Toyota Tundra and Ford F-150.
The recall didn’t affect 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 models, nor any examples of the related GMC Yukon Denali, which was launched in Australia last year.
Overseas, the recall affected some of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban models (GMC Yukon and Yucon XL), Cadillac Escalade and Escallade ESV model as well as GMC Sierra 1500 models.
It had been the case for faulty crankshaft (such as excessive wear) of connecting rods and, in some cases, full engine failure.
It can cause engine bearing damage, as is the case with “the defect” and some engines fail because of this. GM has voluntaryly chosen to recall vehicles that are at high risk of engine damage for this reason,’ the automaker said in a statement.
In the remedy, GM stated that it would replace engines when needed, but GMANZ has not said how many V8s were replaced locally in Silverado 1500 pickups. Inspection vehicles were passed through inspection, which provided higher-viscosity oil and a new oil filter and filler cap.
It said crankshaft and con-rod manufacturing improvements implemented on or before June 1, 2024 “addressed contamination and quality issues”.
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