General Motors Co. is recalling more than one million late-model pickup trucks and large sport-utility vehicles in the U.S. for a steering defect, the latest example of a problem generated by the industry’s growing use of software to control a car’s mechanical functions. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said the automaker has received reports of 30 crashes and two injuries, but no deaths linked to the recall.
– In the second massive US vehicle recall in the space of a week, General Motors is recalling around 1 million pickups and SUVs because of a power-steering software defect that causes a crash risk. The recall affects the 2015 models of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade, reports the Wall Street Journal. The company says the glitch, which can cause the vehicles to briefly lose electronic power steering, has been a factor in at least 30 accidents and two injuries, but no deaths that it is aware of. When the steering assist is lost and suddenly returns, "the driver may have difficulty steering the vehicle, especially at low speeds," according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration release. GM says dealers will update the power steering module software free of charge, reports Reuters. The Journal notes that software glitches, while generally easier to fix than mechanical ones, are rapidly rising as a source of recalls—increasing an average of 30% every year between 2013 and 2016, according to one study. (Ford recalled around 2 million pickups this week because of a seat belt problem.)