General Motors is issuing a recall on 193,652 SUVs for a possible short in a circuit board that could potentially cause a fire.

The affected vehicles are all from the 2006 and 2007 model years and include the Chevrolet Trailblazer (EXT included), GMC Envoy (XL included), Buick Rainier, Saab 9-7x, and the Isuzu Ascender. The issue centers around a circuit board located in the driver’s door that could corrode from water getting into the driver’s side door. If the board shorts out, the power door and window switches may stop working according to the American automaker. Even worse, the circuit board can overheat, leading to smoke or fire.

General Motors is advising owners of the affected vehicles to park them outside until they can be repaired. The automaker will be notifying affected owners and dealerships will repair the vehicles for free.

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GMC debuted the standard cab version of its 2014 Sierra pickup today in a press release about the truck’s aerodynamics.

In it, GMC says the 2014 Sierra spent more time in a wind tunnel than any of its predecessors. The tunnel, which is 750 feet long, generates winds up to 138 mph. The release shows photos of what looks like a higher trim version of the standard cab sierra.

Aside from unveiling the standard cab, GMC also discussed some of the changes it made to improve the aerodynamics of its truck. For example, there is a new sealant between the cab and bed, which GM aerodynamics performance engineer Diane Bloch explained, saying “the most harmful air between the cab and bed was coming over the cab and down through the gap, so we paid the most attention to that specific area.” Now the truck uses new sealing to address the issue.

SEE ALSO: 2014 Chevrolet Silverado Review

During the testing, GMC also looked at tailgate positions and how they affect efficiency. It turns out that having the gate raised is the most efficient because air flows over the cab and pushes forward against the back of the truck. Lowering the tailgate eliminates that benefit, and installing an aftermarket net actually makes more drag.

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General Motors is hiring roughly 100 retired engineers to watch its supplier base as the American automaker launches its new full-size pickup trucks.

GM is launching two if its most important pick-up trucks onto the market in the coming months: the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. To help ensure those new full-size pickups arrive showrooms without any major headaches, the retired engineers will work primarily with Tier 1 suppliers to help check out components such as steering gears and chassis controls.

SEE ALSO: Ford Rethinks Product Launches After Quality Concerns

Since suppliers typically deliver pre-assembled units straight to the factories, a fault with a component in the steering column for example, would be made ahead of the assembly process. According to GM North America president Mark Reuss, the retired engineers were used to help “bring all of the knowledge and lessons learned of their experience over their careers.”

[Source: Automotive News]

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When the all-new 2014 GMC Sierra arrives dealerships this summer, the base-model 4.3-liter, EcoTec V6 will offer best-in-class torque with 305 lb-ft.

In total, three new EcoTec3 engines will be available to GMC Sierra buyers, a 5.3-liter that will be available at launch, and the 4.3-liter and 6.2-liter variants coming later this year. Sierras powered by the 4.3-liter V6 will have a tow rating up to 7,200 pounds for a regular cab, short bed, four-wheel drive model. The V6 is backed by 285 hp and will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

SEE ALSO: 2014 GMC Sierra Leaked

The 2014 Sierra with the 4.3-liter EcoTec V6 will go on sale later this year with a starting price of $25,085 including a destination charge of $995. EPA fuel economy estimates for the V6 will be released closer to the vehicle’s launch.

“This is technology no other truck maker can match, and we offer it in every EcoTec3 engines, for every customer,” said Jordan Lee, GM Powertrain chief engineer. “It is a standard feature, so our drivers get our best and most sophisticated technology regardless of trim level.”

GALLERY:

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Details on the next-generation GMC Sierra are starting to surface, and this may be the first look we have at the 2014 model year truck.

It appears that the American automaker accidentally leaked the 2014 GMC Sierra on its website and an Internet user was quick enough to do a screen cap of it before it was taken off. Though it doesn’t reveal much about the upcoming next-generation Sierra, it does show its model lineup in addition to a first glimpse of the redesign.

SEE ALSO: 2014 GMC Sierra to Get Safety Alert Vibrating Seat

The 2014 GMC Sierra gets a new grille insert, blacked-out lower bumper, and new wheels, based on what we can scope out from the screenshot. Little details are known on the 2014 Sierra, but we expect more official news to be coming soon.

[Source: GM Authority]

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General Motors is introducing one of its newest safety features, the safety alert seat, to its redesigned 2014 GMC Sierra. 

The safety alert seat works by vibrating the seat bottom when the lane departure warning system detects that the truck is leaving the lane without a signal. Both sides of the seat can operate independently, to indicate which side of the truck is drifting across the line. In the case of the forward collision alert system detecting a potential crash, both sides of the seat will vibrate.

“Using the tactile sense to communicate crash threat direction provides an effective and intuitive way to cut through the clutter of visual and auditory sensory information that drivers routinely experience,” said GM active safety technical fellow Raymond Kiefer.

Along with the vibrating seat, both lane departure warning and forward collision alert use different visual aids in the instrument cluster to let the driver know when the truck is drifting, or approaching another vehicle too fast.

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Mid-size truck buyers have something to look forward to next year from General Motors, although it’s probably not what they would expect.

GM North America president Mark Reuss said this morning that the brand plans to bring both a GMC and Chevrolet mid-size pickup to the market in 2014.

“Don’t think of them as Canyon and Colorado replacements because they’re not,” Reuss said during the Dawda Mann annual Automotive Industry Breakfast.

His statement stands in contrast to previous expectations that the Colorado would return — likely in 2014 for the 2015 model year. Past speculation following the Colorado’s unveiling during the 2011 Bangkok Motor Show saw some assuming the truck would return in 2013, but that has proven not to be true.

SEE ALSO: New Chevrolet Colorado Two Years Away for North America

Now it sounds like General Motors might be taking steps to further separate its Chevrolet and GMC trucks.

“We’re going to really target different buyers with these two trucks,” he said after his speech. “We’d love to have a truck like a Chevrolet midsize truck go really attack the West Coast with a lifestyle truck that is really beautiful and fun. It’s a different positioning than a semi serious duty cycle truck that we might do with a GMC Canyon.”

Apart from possibly offering greater brand differentiation, Reuss said the truck will offer much greater fuel economy over the currently-available full-size trucks. It also sounds like a diesel powertrain could be under consideration with Reuss saying the company is looking “at all that right now.”

Finally, the brand is weighing new names for the trucks — a move that could prove to be wise. The Colorado and Canyon were poor sellers that weren’t very competitive. Given that, it might not hurt to disassociate the new trucks.

[Source: the Detroit News]

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Trucks are big profit generators for automakers. The half-ton and heavy-duty pickup segments are probably the most fiercely competitive categories in the industry. Brands fight tooth and nail for every sale they can make. To move the metal they’re willing to leverage any and every competitive advantage no matter how small. Not surprisingly this winner-take-all mentality is delaying common-sense reform that benefits truck buyers.

When it comes to towing nobody seems to agree on anything. Getting automakers to cooperate on this issue has been like herding a clowder of water-logged cats – lots of hissing and scratching but no meaningful progress.

Right now a universally accepted methodology outlining how maximum tow ratings are derived is not in place. Every manufacturer seems to follow its own test procedure. As a result, tow ratings for a Chevy and a Ford aren’t comparable, meaning consumers shouldn’t be swayed by an extra 1,000 lb rating one way or the other.

In an effort to alleviate this confusion SAE International, a professional engineering association that sets technical standards for the automotive industry has an answer, and it’s called J2807.

“All the manufacturers got together and worked to formulate this new standard,” said Sam Butto, a Toyota Representative. “It’s been a fairly hot topic since it’s been initiated a few years ago.”

Keeping this issue on the boil Butto said “We’ve been complying with it for many of our vehicles since 2011.” Toyota took a leadership position on J2807, adopting it two years ahead of when competitors said they’d comply with it.

Without diving into the details, which are about as dry as stale saltines, the proposed test outlines myriad procedures for automakers to follow. For instance, to be certified to tow a certain weight a vehicle must successfully accelerate to a certain speed in a given amount of time; it has to be able to tackle specified grades (hills) without overheating; and be able to bring its load to a safe stop in a given distance. There are literally dozens of other tests aside from these. It’s all very thorough, and probably things automakers already do, but getting everyone to follow the exact same procedure is key to delivering a meaningful rating.

Tom Wilkinson with Chevrolet communications said, “We were prepared to start it in the 2013 model year under an understanding that our competitors were going to follow it,” but that didn’t happen. He also said “Ford had decided not to go in for ’13,” but that their next-generation truck, which is expected to come out around 2015, should comply with J2807.

“We’ve already said we’d apply the testing standards on our all-new vehicles,” said Mike Levine, Ford’s Truck Communications Manager. He pointed out the 2013 Escape crossover and Fusion sedan both follow SAE towing guidelines. However, Levine also mentioned that even though the procedure takes effect this year it’s, “Not a mandatory standard.”

SEE ALSO: Tow-Rating Standoff Continues

When asked whether J2807 would negatively impact Ford’s trucks Levine said, “I would say stay tuned and see what we do with our all-new vehicles.” He did not say when any new truck could reach the market.

Ford is a powerhouse in the pickup segment. Its F-Series is the best-selling truck in America and has been since Jimmy Carter lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s interesting that they’re waiting to adopt the SAE standard. It’s possible their trucks could face a large decline in towing capability.

“I think a lot of people out there are speculating as to why they [Ford] won’t adopt something they sat at the table to help create” said Butto. “We can only speculate like anyone else.”

Like quarreling siblings Chevrolet and Ford have been going back and forth, but what about Chrysler? “Our position on the half-ton piece of it is… others should be leading the way on it,” said Nick Cappa of Ram Truck Communications. According to him, larger competitors in the pickup segment should step up and adopt the standard first.

His pride in Chrysler’s offerings is obvious; Cappa said, “We have the best truck out there in the half ton market.” The 2013 Ram 1500 is the freshest full-size pickup available today, offering an available eight-speed automatic transmission and an innovative air suspension system.

“We’re working closely with SAE to fine-tune those standards,” said Cappa and, “We have done a really good job of anticipating and engineering those standards into our future products.” As a result they’re “seeing the potential for less change in our trucks than our competitors.” He described the potential difference as negligible.

Echoing Cappa’s comments Wilkinson said “In some cases they [tow ratings] won’t change much. In other cases they’ll change more,” though he stopped short of mentioning any specifics.

Detroit automakers may dominate the truck segment but they’re not the only game in town. Toyota fields a capable vehicle in the form of its Tundra. And just like a third-party political candidate the Japanese company has been taking a very different approach to the SAE standard.

“I’m sure that each manufacturer has their reasons for not adopting it” said Butto, but Toyota management decided to stand by J2807 because they believe in it. “The customers deserve it,” he said.

“We would like to see everyone adopt it, it’s good for manufacturers and it’s especially beneficial for consumers” said Butto, noting that industry protocols can be advantageous for everyone.

SAE already set the standard for measuring engine output. This ensures a GM horsepower is the same as a Chrysler horsepower, which is in turn identical to a Toyota horsepower. For instance, this prevents one automaker from testing and rating an engine without an air filter or exhaust system, which would artificially boost the output of the powerplant, giving them a spec-sheet advantage. Following a standard and agreed-upon protocol ensures a level playing field.

Here’s another way to think of it. A yard is 36 inches long, three feet. Using the metric system it’s a little more than 91 centimeters, which probably sounds more impressive since it’s a bigger number. In reality of course they’re the same distance, just measured in different ways.

At this point things are kind of deadlocked. Ford won’t adopt J2807 until its next-generation trucks come out, which is probably in a couple years; likewise it appears GM won’t comply with the standard for at least that amount of time; and Chrysler’s not going until others lead the way. It’s like a group of friends that decided to go skydiving. Everyone is in the plane, has their parachutes on and is standing at the open door but no one wants to jump first, except Toyota, who leapt out when the aircraft was too low.

Will automakers ever bury the hatchet and adopt SAE J2807? Wilkinson said “I think it will happen at some point but I’m just not sure when.” No one wants to sacrifice a potential sales advantage. As long as consumers compare spec sheets maximum towing figures matter. Summing things up Cappa said “It’s a competitive market.”

However, real-world usage and numbers on paper are often very different things. How many truck owners ever come close to the limit? “Our guess is that very few people either with a light duty or a heavy duty tow near the maximum,” Wilkinson said, noting that any changes brought about by J2807 will probably impact a very small number of customers.

At this point no one can directly compare tow ratings until all the players involved release figures that are derived from testing that complies with the SAE standard. Ultimately it boils down to bragging rights and whose pickup has the burliest numbers, something no manufacturer wants to yield to the competition.

GALLERY: SAE J2807 Tow Ratings

General Motors and Ford are collaborating on development of both a nine-and 10-speed automatic transmission, the companies said today. 

The technology, which will improve fuel economy for both brands, will apply to both front- and rear-wheel drive vehicles and will be used in both car and truck applications.

“Engineering teams from GM and Ford have already started initial design work on these new transmissions,” said Jim Lanzon, GM vice president of global transmission engineering.

By working together, the two automakers will save cost and speed the development process. This isn’t the first instance of the General and blue oval brand working together on transmission projects.  In fact, this is the third time in the past decade. Past efforts went toward building six-speed automatics found in vehicles including the Ford Fusion, Explorer and several others along with the Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu and Equinox.

SEE ALSO: Land Rover Brings Nine-Speed Automatic to 2013 Geneva Motor Show

“The goal is to keep hardware identical in the Ford and GM transmissions. This will maximize parts commonality and give both companies economy of scale,” Ford chief engineer for transmission and driveline component pre-program engineering, Craig Renneker, said.

Despite planning to keep the hardware the same, the General Motors and Ford will manufacture the units in separate plants while sharing most of the components. Control software, on the other hand, will vary based on the manufacturer and vehicle.

Neither Ford nor GM provided technical details for the transmissions, saying instead that further information will be available closer to when they will be launched.

Gear laden transmissions are becoming increasingly common in new vehicles. For example, Land Rover debuted the world’s first nine-speed transmission at its booth during this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Currently, available to consumers, Chrysler’s Ram truck brand offers eight-speed automatics in its pickup trucks.

General Motors has began notifying 778,956 owners of various vehicles that they will need more frequent oil changes due to high warranty claims on several models.

Affected vehicles include the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, Buick LaCrosse and Regal models, all 2010-2012 model years. Those vehicles powered by a 2.4-liter LAF and LEA four-cylinder engine are being asked to take their vehicles to the dealership so that a software update will trigger the oil change warning light sooner.

The American automaker began updating the software in December after seeing warranty claims for worn-out balance chains. Product investigators discovered that more frequent oil changes will help the chains last longer. The program will not be considered a recall since it’s not a safety issue.

General Motors declined to disclose the number of claims.

[Source: Automotive News]

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General Motors announced today that the 5.3-liter V8 found in both the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado has been SAE rated at 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque, and will get an estimated 23 mpg highway for rear-wheel drive models, and 22 mpg highway with four-wheel drive.

Base pricing was also revealed by the brands, with the Sierra starting at $25,085, and the Silverado starting as $24,585. Moving up into a double cab model will cost $28,610 in the Silverado, and $29,110 for Sierra, while the top end crew cabs will start at $32,710 for Silverado and $33,210 for Sierra. Built into the overall price is a two-year, 24,000-mile standard scheduled maintenance program, which includes four free maintenance visits. To opt for the 5.3-liter V8, customers will only have to shell out an extra $895, and Chevy says that they expect 3/4 Silverados to be powered by that engine.

A 4.3-liter V6 and a 6.2-liter V8 will also be offered in GM’s trucks, but performance numbers are still unreleased.

The rear-wheel drive 5.3-liter V8 is rated at 16/23/19 mpg city/highway/combined, while the 4×4 model gets a 16/22/18 mpg rating. GM was quick to point out that the fuel economy of the new middle of the road 5.3-liter V8 beats out the Ford F-150 EcoBoost V6 numbers by 1 mpg for both the rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models. GM’s 5.3-liter V8 still doesn’t beat Ram’s 25 mpg highway rating for the 3.6-liter V6 mated to the eight-speed transmission, but that isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison  GM’s six-cylinder numbers, on the other hand, might be good enough to best the Ram V6.

SEE ALSO: 2014 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra Revealed in Detroit

To achieve these fuel economy numbers, GM fitted its new EcoTec3 engines with cylinder deactivation, variable valve timing and direct injection. All three engines are fixed to a six-speed automatic transmission, though GM execs admit that an updated transmission is in the works. It will arrive later on in the product’s life cycle, and is likely to incorporate more gears.

With the 5.3-liter GM engine at 355 hp and 383 lb-of torque however, the F-150 EcoBoost wins the power game, as it is rated at 365 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. Ford’s smaller V8, the 5.0-liter, is a closer match to GM’s new 5.3-liter V8, and beats it by 5 hp but lacks 3 lb-ft of torque. In comparison to the Ram, the 5.3-liter GM engine beats out Chrysler’s middle of the road 4.7-liter V8 by about 40 hp and 50 lb-ft.

GM says that double cab rear-wheel drive models equipped with the available max towing package will pull a max 11,500 lbs., an extra 200 lbs over the Ford F-150′s max tow rating, putting the Sierra and Silverado at the top of the heap when it comes to hauling trailers. In a conference call about the new pickups, GM admits that the towing capacity numbers do not conform to J2807 standard, set by the industry along with the Society of Automotive Engineers. As of now, only Toyota’s half-tons fully conform to the standard.

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Once upon a time trucks were built for work. They had manual door locks, crank windows and AM radios, if they had any sound system at all. Leather seats, air conditioning and voice-activated distractions were out of the question. Like a framing hammer, pickups were simple and effective.

For decades they were purpose-made for hard-working men (and women), the kind of folks that make Paul Bunyan look like a dragqueen. But somewhere along the line these roughneck vehicles became cool with the subdivision set. People living in suburbia started to buy them en masse. With sales increasing so did the clarion call for more comfort.

Today it’s easy to push a simple truck’s window sticker well into luxury-car territory… and beyond. Sure, these vehicles can still handle a 14-hour day on the jobsite and are even more capable than their forebears, but more often than not they’re loaded with costly options that appeal to style-conscious shoppers rather than blue-collar workers. Here’s a list of 10 pricey pickups tailor-made for urban cowboys. The MSRPs are listed without incentives, so actual pricing may vary.