NHTSA Recall 21V440: Plastic Jack Fracture (Encore GX and Trailblazer)
NHTSA Recall No. 21V440, issued in 2021, covers approximately 135,400 vehicles — 2020–2022 Buick Encore GX (built March 23, 2020, to June 3, 2021) and 2021–2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer (built March 16, 2020, to May 8, 2021) — after GM’s own engineers and 21 field complaints confirmed that the plastic emergency spare tire jacks could fracture and collapse while supporting a lifted vehicle. The defect was identified when a GM engineer discovered a broken jack during durability testing on a 2021 Trailblazer; GM reported one injury associated with jack failures before the recall was issued.
The plastic jack design was found to be insufficiently robust to resist fracture under real-world roadside use conditions, particularly when the jack was not positioned exactly as the owner’s manual described — a standard that NHTSA noted is unreliable in an emergency roadside situation, where owners are under stress and may not have time to consult the manual. GM’s remedy for this recall is replacement of the plastic jack with a metal one at no charge to affected owners.
Program N252507990: Jack Kit Lifting Rod (2025 Full-Size Trucks and SUVs)
In November 2025, GM issued Customer Satisfaction Program N252507990 covering all 2025 model year Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500HD/3500HD, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500HD/3500HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL — after determining that the jack kit lifting rods (part numbers 22925284 and 22925285) are out of specification and may deform or break while supporting the weight of a vehicle during a tire change. No injuries had been reported as of the program’s launch; GM characterized the fix as proactive.
Unlike the 2021 Encore GX / Trailblazer recall, this action is a customer satisfaction program rather than a formal NHTSA safety recall, meaning owners are not required to be notified by mail under federal recall law. Owners of affected 2025 GM trucks and SUVs should contact their dealer to have the lifting rods inspected and replaced with the correct component at no charge through December 31, 2027.
Latest Updates
NHTSA Recall 21V440 — covering roughly 135,400 Buick Encore GX and Chevrolet Trailblazer SUVs with plastic jacks that can fracture during use — had remedied approximately 131,291 units as of July 2025, with 146 vehicles still unreachable for the fix, leaving a portion of affected vehicles still carrying the defective plastic jack [1][2]. In November 2025, GM separately launched Customer Satisfaction Program N252507990 to replace out-of-specification jack kit lifting rods on all 2025 full-size Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC trucks and SUVs, citing a risk that the rods can deform or break under load during a roadside tire change [3].
The Danger of a Jack Failure During a Tire Change
When an emergency tire jack fractures or a lifting rod deforms under load, the lifted vehicle drops — without warning and without any opportunity for the person underneath or beside the vehicle to react. Even a partial vehicle collapse from jack height can deliver several thousand pounds of vehicle weight onto a person’s hand, arm, or torso in an instant, with the potential to cause crush injuries, fractures, amputations, or fatal trauma.
Roadside tire changes already take place in inherently dangerous conditions — on the shoulder of a road, often at night, in inclement weather, and without professional tools — which makes the mechanical reliability of the included jack a safety-critical feature. A jack that meets specification and maintains structural integrity under load is not a convenience; it is the difference between a completed tire change and a catastrophic collapse.
Injuries and Who Was Affected
GM reported one injury in connection with the plastic jack fractures covered by NHTSA Recall 21V440, in addition to 21 documented complaints of jack collapses filed before the recall was announced. As of late 2025, the 2025 full-size truck and SUV program has reported no injuries — but the absence of reported injuries in a proactive replacement program does not rule out unrecognized incidents where owners attributed injuries to the circumstances of the tire change rather than to a defective jack component.
Can I File a Lawsuit?
If you were injured when a GM emergency tire jack or jack kit component collapsed, fractured, or failed during a tire change on a recalled or program-covered vehicle, you may have a product liability claim against General Motors for distributing a defective safety tool. Contact a product liability attorney promptly, as state filing deadlines apply.
How to Get the Free Repair
Owners of 2020–2022 Buick Encore GX or 2021–2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer vehicles can check their VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm recall coverage and schedule a free metal jack replacement at their dealer. Owners of covered 2025 full-size GM trucks or SUVs should contact their dealer to request replacement of the jack kit lifting rods under Program N252507990 at no charge through December 31, 2027. For assistance, contact Chevrolet at 800-222-1020, Buick at 800-521-7300, GMC at 800-462-8782, or Cadillac at 800-333-4223.
References
1. https://lemonlawexperts.com/gm-jack-recall/
2. https://autos.yahoo.com/gm-recalling-135-000-suvs-231400504.html
3. https://www.32cars.ru/en/posts/id4432-gm-launches-program-n252507990-free-jack-kit-rod-replacement