General Motors faced more software problems across its lineup that forced it on Monday to issue a second stop-sale order on its vehicles in the last three months. But the automaker was able to find a fast fix in the most recent instance.
The stop-sale affects all 2024 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize trucks. On Tuesday, GM spokesman Kevin Kelly told the Detroit Free Press the stop-sale was to address “intermittent software quality issues” and that “a fix has been identified and implemented into vehicles and they began shipping out to dealers yesterday. We expect this hold to lift shortly so we can begin delivering vehicles to customers as quickly as we can.”
Kelly declined to be more specific on the timing for when GM will lift the stop-sale order beyond “shortly.”
This latest software glitch follows a December stop-sale order of 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EVs so that GM could find a fix to owner-reported software problems that include intermittent issues with in-vehicle screens and problems using DC fast charging. GM, which had started shipping Blazer EVs to dealers in July 2023, was still working on that fix.
Last week, the Free Press first reported that GM had a large number of its 2024 midsize pickups parked near the Wentzville Assembly Plant in Missouri, where it builds them. The pickups were there because the vehicles have software glitches and cannot be sold.
Kelly said late on Monday, “We are disappointed when we choose to pause sales, but we are committed to quality and the customer experience, therefore software updates will continue to be part of the process as our vehicles become more and more technologically advanced.”
He added that GM had its software leadership team “urgently working to overcome any issues in the short term.”
GM’s long-term plan includes, “revamping the software development process and more importantly the validation process,” Kelly said.
The stop-sale order was not hampering production at Wentzville Assembly, which also builds GM’s cargo vans. GM had stopped building the vans after a fire at a supplier last fall had tentatively made metal frames used on the vans unavailable. Kelly said GM has resumed van production at a low rate and expects to be back to normal rate in a few weeks.
Kelly said there has been no impact to midsize pickup production due to the stop-sale and the vehicles that have been in storage will go through a thorough cleaning and validation process before shipping to dealers.
Last Thursday, CEO Mary Barra spoke at the Wolfe Research Global Auto and Auto Tech Conference in New York and said she has some regrets from last year, including fixing glitches with new in-vehicle software. Barra said she regretted not bringing in GM’s new software team sooner.
“I wish I would have brought in the team we have now, earlier,” Barra said. GM hired former Apple executive Mike Abbott in May 2023. “Mike Abbott has brought in an incredible team: hired people from Google, from Apple, from Meta and many tech companies. We’ve already revamped the software development process and, more importantly, the validation process.”
Once GM implements that process with every future vehicle, the software will “exceed customer’s expectations” and differentiate GM from competitors, Barra promised. She did not offer further details.
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Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
