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:
