June 16, 2003
Federal safety regulators are opening a defect investigation into 384,608 of General Motors' 1999-2003 full-sized pickups and SUVs after two reports of cracked wheels.
The "preliminary evaluation" by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) covers the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup, and the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon SUVs.
The evaluation covers only those pickups and SUVs equipped with six-bolt 16-inch-by-6.5-inch full-face steel wheels. Most were sold with aluminum wheels.
A GM spokesman said the cracked wheels caused a slow leak in the tires and did not present an immediate safety risk.
NHTSA will look into the complaints further before deciding whether to upgrade the investigation into a more serious "engineering analysis" or drop it.
