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

NEWS:   GM to recall 1.3M compacts for steering problem

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

NEWS:   US probes Chevy Cobalt steering complaints

YAHOO NEWS -- February 2, 2010 -- Federal regulators have opened an investigation into complaints that power steering systems in the Chevrolet Cobalt can fail, making it more difficult to control the car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says there are 1,132 complaints about the Cobalt's electric power steering, including reports of eleven accidents and one injury.

The preliminary review covers about 905,000 Cobalts in the model years from 2005 to 2009.

A majority of the complaints have come in the past six months. Some drivers said they couldn't stay in their traffic lane when steering became difficult.  The Cobalt is made by General Motors.

The company said in a statement that the NHTSA review is the first step in an investigation, and that it will answer questions from the safety agency. After that step, the case will either move to an engineering analysis or it will be closed, GM said.

MORE RECALL INFO:   Chevrolet Cobalt

OCTOBER 2009 -- General Motors is recalling certain model year 2006 Chevrolet cobalt and Saturn Ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of Arizona and Nevada; and model year 2007 Chevrolet cobalt, Pontiac G5 and Saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Texas. The plastic supply or return port on the modular reservoir assembly may crack. If either of these ports develops a crack, fuel will leak from the area. If the crack becomes large enough, fuel may be observed dripping onto the ground and vehicle performance may be affected. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire. Dealers will replace the fuel pump module free of charge. A special coverage will be implemented in the same time frame for model year 2006 vehicles registered in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas and model year 2007 vehicles registered in: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, north Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule.  09V-419

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.   09V-073

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

NEWS:    GM recalls about 99,000 Cobalts

WASHINGTON - January 25, 2006 -- General Motors Corp. said today it was recalling about 99,000 Chevrolet Cobalt small sedans to upgrade head impact protection.

GM said the recall affects 98,707 vehicles from the 2005-2006 model years that are not equipped with optional roof-mounted side impact air bags. The issue was discovered during compliance testing.

MORE RECALL NEWS >>