Gojirra99

Monday, April 25, 2005


GM recalls 2 million vehicles in latest setback

Trucks and SUVs targeted for seat belt problem

By Michael Ellis / Reuters


DETROIT - General Motors Corp.on Monday said it was recalling more than 2 million vehicles to fix a variety of potential safety defects, most of them on cars and trucks sold in the United States.

In the latest setback for the world's largest automaker, GM said the largest of the safety actions included nearly 1.5 million full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles from the 2003 to 2005 model years with second-row seat belts that may be difficult to properly position across passengers' hips.

GM, which led the auto industry in U.S. recalls last year, said it voluntarily conducted that recall, although it had no reports that the belts caused or contributed to any injuries, and an analysis indicates a very low likelihood of problems occurring.

"Recalling these vehicles to provide improved routing of the lap belt is an important precautionary measure," Bob Lange, GM's director of structure and safety integration, said in a statement.

The recall includes some of GM's top-selling pickup trucks and SUVs, including the model year 2003 to 2005 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, Hummer H2, Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL and the crew cab versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra.

The recall is one of the largest for GM since March last year when it recalled more than 4 million full-size pickup trucks to replace tailgate support cables that may corrode and fracture. That led to a record year in recalls for GM, which ran counter to claims it had improved the quality of its cars and trucks.

Last week, GM said it lost $1.1 billion in the first quarter, including a loss of $1.56 billion in North America alone, where the automaker has lost market share to Japanese competitors with a reputation for building quality vehicles.

GM also announced five other recalls on Monday. They include a recall of 332,202 of the 1500 Series Chevrolet Suburban and Yukon XL SUVs from the 2000 and 2001 model years for possible overheating of fuel pump wires that could lead to engine stalling, failure to start, a possible fuel leak and inaccurate fuel-level readings.

Also recalled were 142,585 1500 Series Silverado and Sierra pickups from the 1999-2002 model years and 2500 and 3500 Series pickups from the 2001-2004 model years with manual transmissions. The parking brakes could wear out, allowing the vehicles to move unexpectedly.

GM also recalled 69,037 of its 2005 model year Buick Lacrosse and Buick Allure sedans, which went on sale last year, for a potential problem with a brake part that could lead to brake loss. GM said it was aware of a low-speed crash, which did not result in any injuries, as a consequence of the potentially faulty brakes.

Also recalled were 39,078 2004-model year Buick Rendezvous and Pontiac Aztek SUVs, which could stall or fail to start due to a faulty ignition relay. GM said the problem resulted in one minor crash, but no injuries.

Lastly, GM recalled 22,115 Saturn L Series wagons from the 2002 to 2004 model years because they were built with center and passenger-side rear seat belt anchors that fail to comply with U.S. and Canadian safety standards.

GM will notify owners of the recalled vehicles and dealers will repair the parts for free.

source HERE

LexFather

Re-damn-diculous. I am trying to give GM a chance but they need to stop this crap.

mmarshall

The primary reason that Azteks don't start is simple........nobody is buying them.

They sit on the lot for months and the batteries go dead.

ktiger

All of GM's products scream, and I mean scream, CHEAP!!!!! From the Caddy's down to the Pontiac's the cheap plastics used in their vehicles are ridiculous. What we read in this story comes from years of Corporate rape. They continue to pay themselves like kings and queens while the people making the cars get pink slips.

GM and Ford just don't get it. We don't want your stupid incentives, we want a nice looking car inside and out that's reliable. People are willing to pay for quality, stupid!

Lexusfreak

Poor buggers......not a good year for the General so far. I hope they have hit rock bottom by now & wish them luck to climb back out. I still have a lot of respect for GM & most of it's divisions.

UDel

All carmakers have recalls or issues with their cars. I am not a fan of GM vehicles but a seatbelt that may be difficult to adjust is not a very big issue to me. It is not causing any accidents, injuries, or affecting the driving and reliability of the vehicle. I am sure if it was Toyota or Lexus that had this recall most people would be saying it is no big deal and it is right of them to issue a preemtive recall to correct a simple problem. Unfortunately GM and Ford have had so many more serious recalls in the past and ignored deadly mistakes in design that people are going to be putting another nail in their coffin with this recall.

LexFather

Well I think Nissan offers the same cheap crap but they are on a product onslaught. They have no better quality than GM. They do have more style from a design standpoint. I think people are so brainwashed anything Japanese is better that GM is pretty much screwed.

mmarshall

Yes.....those who, unlike us, don't follow the car world closely, are probably going to believe this.

But to separate fact from fiction....two of the most reliable cars in Consumer Reports' database were GM products.....the non-supercharged Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix. So then......what does GM do?.....drops BOTH of them later this year.

And...as you note....unreliable vehicles can also come from Japan......notably the recent Nissan Sentra, trucks, SUV's, and some Mitsubishi products, notably the Eclipse.

BlkGS3

Omg American Cars Are Being Recalled?! No Way! I Was Convinced That They Are Known For Their Reliability And Longivity!

UDel

I agree that not every Japanese car will have great reliablilty and every American car is a lemon. I do not trust Consumer Reports all that much though because they routinely rate products and cars to have good reliablility when experience, research, word of mouth shows the complete opposite. They are also known to give good ratings just because a product is cheaper and worse ratings on products they find expensive. There is no way a Pontiac Grand Prix is one of the most reliable cars out there. Their have been so many serious problems with that car it is amazing they can still sell it. My uncle went through three all of which interiors were falling apart, 3 blown tranies, 2 blown engines, and numerous issues that left the car inoperable. He chose not to own them anymore after the last blown engine. Everyone I know that has owned them said they had tons of problems and the automechanics and a friend who works at a GM plant I know said to avoid them no matter how great a deal. Consumer reports has rated many GE, RCA, electronics and Compaq, Gateway, HP computers as very reliable where experience and word of mouth has found the opposite to be true. The Eclipse is a joint Chrylser and Mitsubishi effort and the car is made in America and shares platform and engines with Chrysler products. Most newer Buicks do seem better built and more reliable then other GM products.

mmarshall

CR only rated the non-supercharged Grand Prix better-than-average.....they warned people to avoid the supercharged GTP.

CR's reliability ratings have borne out my own experience pretty well....and most of the people I know. Like you, though, not everyone agrees with them. I have found them, in most cases, to be spot-on.

UDel

My uncles Grand Prix's were the non supercharged GT models. I am not saying CR is useless I just have been dissapointed with some of their recommendations and have been burned or know people who were burned by buying some less expensive products they rated highly but later were known to be of poor quality and reliability.

redkingjoe

no wonder toyota needs to rasie price!!!

01LexIS300

Just another day at GM......