General Motors is issuing a recall on select Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, including HD models. According to Transport Canada, trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window could have a defroster circuit that can melt itself or, in rare instances, catch fire.

As no fix currently exists, GM is asking owners to bring their vehicles into the dealership so that the fuse for the rear defroster can be disconnected while it works on finding a better solution. The recall encompasses 159,240 trucks from the 2014-2019 model years. 

While one would presume that U.S. vehicles would be similarly affected, no such recall exists within the United States ⁠- not yet. GM spokesman Daniel Flores told Automotive News that the manufacturer was actively investigating U.S. models, noting that reports of fires were uncommon.

"When investigated, GM has found evidence of smoke and localized melting conditions, but no fire propagation," Flores said. "Further, the rate of occurrence in the Canadian vehicle population, given the climates and usage patterns, is significantly higher than the rate of occurrence in the U.S."

While it's true that Canada is closer to the Arctic Circle, the Northern United States still spends a significant portion of every year defrosting windows and nobody wants to smell melting plastic while they're driving -temperate climate, or not. Americans also buy a hell of a lot more pickup trucks. The United States purchases almost as many Silverados per month as Canada does in an entire year.

GM's planning on notifying its Canadian customers via mail with a subsequent notice on how to proceed once a fix has been developed. We'll keep you posted on the U.S. front.

a version of this article first appeared on TTAC