DETROIT -

General Motors announced late last week that it is recalling about 55,000 full-size trucks and vans in the United States to inspect the steering column for a possible defect.

GM said it knows of no crashes or injuries related to the condition.

If the steering column defect is present, the automaker said one or more of the following could occur:

—A driver could shift from park position while the key is removed from ignition or the key is in off position (without proper illumination of the PRNDL).

—The transmission could be shifted out of park without application of the brake pedal while the key is in off position.

—The key may be rotated to OFF position and removed while shifter is not in park position.

Potentially affected units are certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade EXT and Escalade ESV; Chevrolet Express, Silverado, Tahoe, Avalanche and Suburban and GMC Savana, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL models.

GM officials indicated about one in 1,000 of the recalled vehicles are expected to have the defect, and the majority of those were believed to be on dealer lots or on their way to dealers.

The automaker said all unsold vehicles are being inspected and, if necessary, the steering column will be replaced.
All inspections and any repairs will be covered under new-vehicle warranty at no cost to customers.

Owner letters are expected to be mailed beginning Jan. 22.