March 17, 2021—General Motors will begin to build certain 2021 light-duty full-size pickups without a fuel management system causing drivers to lose one mile per gallon, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The announcement comes as the company’s latest solution to the global semiconductor shortage. The plan will carry through until the end of the model year in late summer.
The vehicles that will be affected are the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra pickups equipped with the 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8 engine with both six-speed and eight-speed automatic transmissions. It is unknown exactly how many total pickups will be affected by the absence of the system.
Several of GM’s assembly plants continue to navigate shutdowns due to the shortage. Most of those facilities are not expected to open until at least April or May.