After finally getting its electric SUV, the Cadillac Lyriq, out to customers and dealerships, General Motors is now issuing a recall for nearly all of them due to a software issue that can prevent braking, reports the Detroit Free Press.
When GM first launched the Lyriq in 2022, it was able to deliver just 122 vehicles. By last year, thousands had placed orders that they were waiting on–but GM cited issues with software, supply chains, and battery module production for its slow rollout.
“We deliberately ramped up Cadillac Lyriq production slowly and methodically... to ensure quality for our customers,” Cadillac spokesman Michael Albano said at the time of Lyriq’s launch.
Then, GM suddenly was able to deliver. Its second-quarter Lyriq sales this year were 7,294–a 441% increase. The first half of this year has seen 13,094 Lyriqs delivered.
On May 31, 2024, GM opened an investigation into reports of loss of braking power in Lyriq vehicles. The company had received at least two reports of minor accidents resulting from the issue.
Following its investigation, GM determined that a software issue in the vehicle’s anti-lock braking system was to blame.
The automaker added that the problem would occur only in rare, specific circumstances: when a false anti-lock braking system event occurs on a dry road surface, at no speed greater than 25 mph.
The vehicle would also have to experience a series of specific wheel movements that would lead to the ABS system to continue initiating the release of pressure in the service brake system, GM added.
On Aug. 1, the company’s safety field action decision authority then moved forward with a safety recall. According to GM spokesman Bill Grotz, less than 500 of the 21,469 that are recalled are 2023 models. He added that a fix will be implemented through a wireless over-the-air software update.
