NEWS:   Regulators probing gear shift trouble with GM cars

YAHOO NEWS -- November 14,  2011 – Federal safety regulators are investigating problems with the automatic shift levers on several General Motors cars because drivers may think the cars are in park when they actually are in gear.

Seven crashes have been reported because of the problem, including one in which a driver put a car in park, got out and was struck and injured when the car unexpectedly rolled backward, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday in documents posted on its website.

Another car put in park with the engine running reportedly accelerated and ran into a wall after the driver got out.

NHTSA said the protective jacket around cables connecting the floor shift lever to the transmission can deteriorate, exposing the cables to the elements. Cables can corrode and weaken, and the shift lever position can change so it doesn't match the car's gear. That means a driver could put the car in park but the transmission could be in drive or reverse. In some cases, the car may not shift at all.

The probe began with complaints about the Saturn Aura midsize car from the 2007 and 2008 model years, affecting nearly 89,000 vehicles. But the agency said it is now checking to see if the problems extend to other GM vehicles. The Chevrolet Malibu from the 2004 to 2008 model years and the Pontiac G6 from the 2005 to 2008 model years have similar shifting systems, the agency said.

NHTSA said it received three reports of crashes caused by the problem, while GM received four, including the one that injured the driver. No details were given on whether the driver was seriously hurt.

In another case, a driver put the car in park, but the transmission stayed in reverse. "When the driver exited with the engine running, the vehicle continued (accelerated) in reverse and struck a building," NHTSA said.

GM told the agency that the problem affects mainly models with four-speed transmissions, but not six-speed transmissions.

NHTSA said it has upgraded the investigation to an analysis that will check how many times the cables have failed, the consequences "and the scope of vehicles that may be affected, including the models, model years and transmission types."

An investigation doesn't necessarily mean that the vehicles will be recalled.

Company spokesman ...said GM is cooperating in the investigation. The company will make free shifter cable repairs on affected 2007 and 2008 Auras, and it will cover the repairs for 10 years or 120,000 miles from the date the original owner picked up the car. Those who already have paid for repairs should keep receipts for reimbursement, Company spokesman said.

Although the Malibu and G6 have similar shift systems, the problem happens far less frequently on those cars than it does on the Aura, Company spokesman said. The same parts maker supplied cables for all three vehicles, but the Malibu and G6 cables are not exactly like the Aura's, he said.

Anyone who has an issue with shifting should contact a GM dealer. GM got rid of the Saturn and Pontiac brands last year, and other dealers, mainly Chevrolet, became their authorized repair centers.

GM sold more than 815,000 Chevy Malibus in calendar years 2004 through 2008 and over 570,000 Pontiac G6 models from 2005 through 2008, according to Autodata Corp. and Ward's AutoInfoBank. It's unlikely that all of those cars will be covered by the investigation because they have several types of transmissions.

In March of 2009, GM recalled about 277,000 vehicles for a similar shift lever problem, although NHTSA documents say that was caused by a faulty clip used to adjust the cable.

At that time the recall involved 2009 model year versions of the Buick Enclave; Chevrolet Cobalt, HHR, Malibu and Traverse; GMC Acadia; Pontiac G5 and G6; and the Saturn Aura and Outlook. Only 75,000 of the vehicles had been sold, and the rest were still at dealerships.

MORE RECALL INFO: 

• Saturn Aura
• Chevrolet Malibu
• Pontiac G6

NEWS:   GM to recall 38,400 Pontiac G8s on airbag issue

YAHOO NEWS -- November 7,  2011 – General Motors Co is recalling more than 38,000 Pontiac G8 models in order to reprogram airbag modules for the front passenger seats, the U.S. automaker said in a release on Saturday.

The airbag modules for vehicles built for the 2008 and 2009 model years may not be in compliance with federal standards for head injury protection of some passengers, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall notice.

The recall affects 38,444 Pontiac G8 models, which were manufactured in Australia and imported to the United States. The issue was discovered in Australia during testing.

There have been no crashes, injuries or complaints related to the airbag issue, the statement said.

MORE RECALL INFO:

• Pontiac G8
• NHTSA Recall Website

MARCH 2010 - General Motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and model year 2007-2010 Pontiac G5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering. The driver may experience a sudden loss ofpower steering assist that could occur at any time while driving. If power steering assist is lost, it would require greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will replace the electric power steering motor free of charge. The safety recall began on March 29, 2010.   10V-073

GOOGLE NEWS -- March 1, 2010 – General Motors Co. said Monday it will recall 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac compact cars sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to fix power steering motors that can fail.

The recall affects 2005 to 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts, 2007 to 2010 Pontiac G5s, 2005 and 2006 Pontiac Pursuits sold in Canada and 2005 and 2006 Pontiac G4s sold in Mexico.

The automaker said the vehicles are still safe to drive and never lose their steering, but it may be harder to steer them when traveling under 15 mph.

GM spokesman Alan Adler said it will take time for the automaker to get 1.3 million new power steering motors from the supplier, JTEKT Corp., and GM will notify car owners when the parts are available.

Adler said the failures are rare and the cars can still be driven until motors can be replaced by dealers. Drivers will see a warning light and hear a chime if the power steering fails, but they could be surprised when the steering becomes more difficult.

GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the recall on Monday. NHTSA began an investigation into 905,000 of the models on Jan. 27 after getting 1,100 complaints that the cars lost their power steering assist. The complaints included 14 crashes and one injury.

The automaker will fix older models first because it usually takes 20,000 to 30,000 miles of driving for the condition to develop, Adler said. GM also will have to repair thousands of vehicles on dealer lots before they can be sold, he said.

"Recalling these vehicles is the right thing to do for our customers' peace of mind," J........GM's vice president of quality, said in a statement.

Adler said if the power steering assist fails, it usually comes back for a time after the car is shut off and restarted.

MORE RECALL INFO:   Chevy Cobalt     Pontiac G5

The Vibe had been assembled at a plant in California that Toyota had operated jointly with GM.

YAHOO NEWS -- Jan 27, 2010 -- Toyota Motor Corp late on Wednesday said it is expanding a recall of its cars and trucks by another 1.1 million vehicles to address the risk of accelerator pedals becoming dangerously stuck.

The recall involves 2009-2010 model year Corolla, Venza, Matrix vehicles and the 2008-2010 Highlander, as well as the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

Toyota told federal officials of the expanded recall on Wednesday.  It is the second high-profile safety action in less than a week for the automaker. 

MARCH 2009 -- General Motors is recalling 276,729 MY 2009 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Cobalt, HHR, Malibu, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Pontiac G5, G6 and Saturn Aura and Outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard 102, "Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock, And Transmission Braking Effect", and FMVSS 114, "Theft Protection and RollawayPrevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fullyengaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park". The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning. Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In theevent that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before March 24, 2009. Owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet at 1- 800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 and Saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or at WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.   09V-073

FEBRUARY 2009 --  GM is recalling 8,012 MY 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 vehicles. The brake lamps may not operate properly because of corrosion in a wiring connector. Corrosion in the connector could cause the brake lamps to illuminate when the brake pedal has not been depressed, or the lamps may not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed. In addition, the cruise control may not engage, and greater brake pedal force may berequired to shift the vehicle out of PARK. Brake lamps that are not operating properly may not warn a driver in a following vehicle of the braking status and could lead to a crash without prior warning. Dealers will apply a dielectric lubricant to the connector to prevent corrosion. This service will be performed for you free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2009. Owners may contact Pontiac at 1- 800-620-7668 or owner center at www.gmownercenter.com. This recall was the subject of a Preliminary Evaluation, PE08-054, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation.   09V-036

NEWS:    GM recalling vehicles to fix shift lever problem

WASHINGTON (AP) — General Motors Corp. is recalling about 277,000 vehicles because of a potential defect in the shift lever that could cause a vehicle to roll away.

GM says the recall involves 2009 model year versions of the Buick Enclave; Chevrolet Cobalt, HHR, Malibu and Traverse; GMC Acadia; Pontiac G5 and G6; and the Saturn Aura and Outlook.

A GM spokeswoman says about 75,000 vehicles have been purchased. The rest are at dealerships. No crashes or injuries have been reported.

In some cases, the shift lever and the transmission gear's position may not match, meaning a driver could move the shifter to the park position but the transmission gear may not be in park.

A vehicle could roll away and crash or have problems restarting

MORE RECALL INFORMATION

• Buick Enclave
• Chevrolet Cobalt

• Chevrolet HHR

• Chevrolet Malibu

• Chevrolet Traverse
• GMC Acadia

• Pontiac G5

• Pontiac G6

• Saturn Aura

• Saturn Outlook

MARCH 2008 -- GM is recalling 207,542 MY 1997-2003 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8L supercharged V-6 engine. Engine oil can leak from the valve cover and can migrate during maneuvers such as hard braking. If the oil reaches the hot exhaust manifold, it may ignite causing an underhood fire. Until sufficient parts become available to repair all of the affected vehicles, GM strongly recommends that owners observe the following important precautions: (1) they strongly recommend that owners do not park their vehicle in a garage, car port, or other structure; (2) if owners notice a burning odor, they should have their dealer inspect the vehicle. The dealer will inspect the vehicle without charge; (3) use premium fuel (91 octane or higher) in the vehicle as recommended in the vehicle's owner manual. Owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080 or Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. This recall was the subject of an Engineering Analysis, EA07-008, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation. 08V-118

DECEMBER 2007 -- GM is recalling 275,936 MY 2005-2007 Cadillac CTS, SRX, STS, MY 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice, and MY 2007 Saturn Sky passenger vehicles. The rear axle pinion seal does not meet all of the specifications and may experience a fluid leak. A rear differential failure may cause loss of motive power and possibly loss of vehicle control increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will replace the pinion seal. The recall is expected to begin during February 2008. 07V-589

SEPTEMBER 2007 -- GM is recalling 531 MY 2008 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 207, "Seating Systems." and Standard No. 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages." These vehicles may have one to four inboard seat stud fasteners that do not meet strength specification. In the event of a crash, the seat and seat belt assembly may not restrain the occupant as intended and could result in injury to the occupant. Dealers will inspect the inboard seat studs and, if necessary, remove the stud and install a bolt. The recall is expected to begin on or about October 10, 2007. 07V-454

More Recall Information:   Pontiac Vibe 

NEWS:    GM announces recall on car fire risk

DETROIT (AP) -- March 14, 2008 -- General Motors Corp. is recalling 207,542 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix sedans over a risk they could catch fire, and warned their owners not to park the cars in garages until they are fixed.

The automaker said Friday it is recalling the 1997-2003 Buick Regal GS and Grand Prix GTP models with 3.8-liter supercharged V-6 engines.

During hard braking, oil can leak from the engine onto the exhaust manifold, and fires can start if the oil gets hot enough, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site.  GM spokeswoman ..... said the problem has caused 267 vehicle fires and six injuries, five of them minor and one moderate. It also has caused 17 fires in structures, GM said.

The NHTSA said that if the exhaust manifold is hot enough and the oil gets below a heat shield, "it may ignite into a small flame and in some cases fire may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel."

GM sports cars under investigation

GM spokeswoman said GM sent letters to the owners on Thursday telling them the vehicles are safe to drive, but they should not be parked in garages or carports until the problem is repaired.

The automaker is working with suppliers to get the parts to fix the problem, and owners will be notified as soon as the parts are available, GM spokeswoman said. She did not know how long it would take to get the parts but said it would be soon.

If owners smell burning, they should take their car to a dealership for inspection, she said.  "Consumers can always can go to their dealership if they do smell something and are concerned," she said.  They also should run premium 91 octane fuel, which is recommended for the cars, she said.  "Lower octane fuel increases under-hood temperatures during operation," GM spokeswoman said.  GM spokeswoman said there are "very, very low incidences of vehicles actually catching fire while driving

More Recall Information:   Buick Regal  -   Pontiac Grand Prix