Move out of the way Toyota, we have a new poster boy for recalls: GM. The Detroit carmaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Thursday that it has issued five separate safety recalls covering approximately 2.7 million vehicles in the United States, which will cost the company about $200 million in the second quarter.
The first and biggest recall concerns 2,440,524 units of the 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2007 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 and 2007-2010 Saturn Auras over tail lamp malfunctions caused by corroded wiring harnesses that could also affect cruise control, traction control, electronic stability control and panic braking assist operation.
“GM is aware of several hundred complaints, 13 crashes and two injuries but no fatalities as a result of the condition,” said the automaker. “The company issued a technical service bulletin in 2008 and conducted a safety campaign for a small population of 2005 model year vehicles in January 2009.”
GM’s second recall affects 111,889 Chevrolet Corvettes from the 2005-2007 model years for loss of low-beam headlamp operation. The automaker said it is aware of “several hundred complaints as result of the condition but no crashes, injuries or fatalities”.
The third recall is for 140,067 Chevrolet Malibus from the 2014 model year with 2.5-liter engines and stop/start technology because of hydraulic brake booster malfunctions. GM stated that it is “aware of four crashes but it is not clear that these are related to the condition. No injuries are known from those crashes”.
Recall number four covers 19,225 Cadillac CTS from the 2013-2014 model year over a condition in which the windshield wiper system may go bust after a vehicle jump start with wipers active and restricted, such as by ice and snow.
As for fifth and last recall of the day, it involves 477 examples of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups and 2015 model year Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs for a defective tie rod that can separate from the steering rack.
“We have redoubled our efforts to expedite and resolve current reviews in process and also have identified and analyzed recent vehicle issues which require action,” said Jeff Boyer, vice president of GM Global Vehicle Safety. “These are examples of our focus to surface issues quickly and promptly take necessary actions in the best interest of our customers.”
By John Halas
PHOTO GALLERY
