Tester
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The headline is sensationalistic click bait. It does not describe the info in the article. It implies that sales of those models of GM trucks are halted.
The article states that “over 3,000 models” are included. The headline specifies 2 models. Later it quotes the NHTSA, which states that about 3,057 vehicles are being inspected. It is accurate to state “over 3,000 trucks” are being inspected - not that “over 3,000 models” are included.
3,057 vehicles being inspected for a possible defect is very different from “GM halting sales of their new pickups.”
This is lousy journalism. The underlying story is interesting to people like us on Car Talk. The article takes unfounded leaps from the underlying story. We deserve better.
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Why not try doing a little web searching instead of typing inane drivel?
And here’s the fix.
Nice huh?
Tester
Nobody wants a defect but if there is one, they want it resolved properly. The second article describes the repair in a bit more detail:
Dealers will drill the ends of the cracks to stop the spread, and MIG weld the underside of the roof. The truck then needs to be repainted and clear-coated to finish the job, and dealers will also apply an anti-corrosion solution on the welds.
My initial fear was a bare weld with the molding glued over it and the headliner re-installed…
And from the looks of that weld, it would appear someone forgot to open the bottle for the shielding gas
Tester
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LOL. My kid can weld better than that! He’s 13.
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Yep, another misleading headline. There is a stop-sale order on only 3,067 trucks. That’s less than 1 truck per dealership. That’s how many Silverados and Sierras were sold in any 36 hour period in 2022.
Jalopnik states “Over 3000 models are affected by the recall…” No, 3000 units are affected. Major difference.
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Maybe it’s an AI article and the software doesn’t know the difference between models and individual trucks.
The above article has a more accurate headline, a clarifying subtitle, and a first sentence that is explanatory, not sensationalistic. Real journalism. It’s what the reading public needs more of.
I don’t have access to the whole article, but based on these samples I will have more confidence in autonews.com than I will in jalopnik.
This is an interesting story, worthy of real journalism. What mishap(s) led to this manufacturing error? Was it limited to one production line? Where and when? How do GM’s processes and records allow them to specify which ca. 3,057 vehicles need to be inspected? Is that the maximum possible extent of the problem? Are their dealers able to do the needed repairs and do them well, or farm out some or all of the work? Etc., etc.
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More and likely that’s a robotic weld. Manufacturers usually take pics of these welds and then QA reviews them. Either they reviewed them too late (after shipped) or decided to let them go anyways and hope they’ll be fine. With so few number of trucks, the problem was probably resolved within days (if not the same day) after it was discovered.
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They are going to be doing a bunch of these welds at the dealership body shop. I have far less confidence in the quality of work there, especially for limited warranty money they get from the manufacturer, and expect some of them to look like the picture.
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Body shops weld structural panels everyday, I wouldn’t be concerned about inexperienced body men.
Lexus recently had a recall for missing structural/suspension welds on 4,300 NX350 and NX450 vehicles, this doesn’t seem to deter sales.
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Was it a weld problem or a steel problem? Segregation of carbon or impurities could create a failure like this.
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Just because someone does something everyday doesn’t mean they are necessarily good at it. I’ve seen people that stunk at certain jobs but got lots of praise from their managers because they were fast and the result was considered good enough.
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+1
In a town where I lived from the mid-50s to the mid-70, there was an Orthopedic Surgeon who was close to incompetent. 9 times out of 10, if you saw someone limping along the street, he/she had been a patient of that doctor.
Ironically, when I took classes for my final career, as a Paralegal, my Torts professor spoke about that doctor, as a result of the huge number of malpractice suits that had been filed over the years. Somehow, that doctor was able to retire without ever losing his certification, but the outcome from his procedures was frequently… not good.
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Just remember without the people graduating at the bottom of the class there would not be a valedictorian… 
I often wonder where all the Physicians are that barely graduated but are still able to practice medicine… 
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I had one at an emergency room about 45 years ago. I cut the very top of my finger off while chopping onions. My wife (then girlfriend) and I went to the ER, a couple minute drive from my house. I was assigned to a newbie doctor just out of med school. He kept talking about how he hated the area and couldn’t wait to be a cruise ship doctor. I was going to tell him what a jerk he was and waited until the flap was stitched back on, hoping that would ensure best handling. Didn’t matter. My finger wouldn’t numb with the shots at the base so he put one down the center of the damaged area on the finger. I shrieked and immediately went into shock. Eventually the finger was stitched up and I went home. I forgot to tell the stupid doctor off before leaving. Not surprising under the circumstances. Where do they go? Love boats!
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Otherwise known as floating Petri Dishes…
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/11/health/norovirus-outbreaks-cruise-ships-wellness/index.html
I worked with a few managers who were NON Technical and to them speed was KING. Get the product out the door as quickly as possible…quality came second. Then 3-5 months down the road - we’re doubling our work because we’re spending so much time fixing priority bugs because they should have been fixed before we shipped.
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3000 vehicles that may be affected. Honda just recalled 2.5 million cars for faulty fuel pumps.
I think I would prefer to buy a car from a company that has problems 3000 at a time instead of 2.5 million.
The bottom line is all carmakers have recalls and stop sales orders.
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