Older versions of the Saturn Vue have been targeted in the latest burst of GM recalls.
(Editor’s Note: GM has revised its original news release, noting that it double-counted one of the recalls announced last week. This story — but not the headline — has been revised to reflect the correct count.)
General Motors has announced another five recalls to wrap up a busy week for the Detroit maker, bringing to 65the total number of products it has targeted for safety-related problems since the beginning of the year.
Friday’s announcements collectively involving 267,000 cars and utility vehicles. The largest of the recalls involves 202,115 Saturn Vue crossovers from the 2002 to 2004 model-years. GM says their ignition keys could be removed even while the vehicles are running, a problem linked to two known crashes and one injury.
The latest recalls come barely a day after GM had to call back nearly 190,000 older SUVs for the third time to address a power window switch problem that could lead to vehicle fires.
(Click Here to find out more about GM’s latest window switch recall.)
In all, the maker has this year recalled 25.5 million vehicles sold in the U.S., and 28.9 million sold worldwide. That includes 2.6 million linked to an ignition switch problem now blamed for at least 13 deaths, and for which the maker has now set up an open-ended victims’ compensation fund.
But GM isn’t alone. Overall, the auto industry has recalled more than 40 million vehicles in the U.S. since January 1, blowing past the previous record of 31 million set in 2004.
Ignition switch issues of various sorts have proven to be a nightmare for GM. The most well-publicized problem involves ignition switches that can be jounced, inadvertently, into the Off or Accessory positions, causing a vehicle to stall, while its power brakes, steering and airbag systems are disabled. Internal company documents show GM knew about the issue for at least a decade before taking action.
The Saturn Vue issue is a different matter. In this case, the keys can be removed while the vehicle is still in the On position. The maker plans to replace the ignition cylinders and key sets, if necessary, at no cost to consumers.
(Ford investigating fire that destroyed prototype F-Series pickup during testing. Click Here for more.)
Separately, GM will recall 48,059 Cadillac ATS and Buick Encore sedans from the 2013 model-year because of faulty seatbelt pretensioners. GM says it knows of no crashes or injuries due to the problem. But it has issued a stop-sale on unsold models on dealer lots until the problem is fixed.
The third recall covers 14,940 Chevrolet Impala sedans from the 2014 and 2015 model-years because front storage consoles could pop open in a rear-end crash.
Another 1,968 Chevrolet Aveo subcompacts from the 2009 and 2010 model-year, and Pontiac G3 models from 2009 are being recalled because of brake problems. The maker original attempted to address the issue in 2012 through a so-called Customer Satisfaction Program, but is now expanding the effort as a full recall.
GM initially said it was also recalling 1,919 Chevrolet Spark minicars from 2014 because of a possible manufacturing defect involving suspension components. But it later corrected its announcement to note that this problem had been addressed by an earlier recall.
The surge in recalls this year, industry observers suggest, has been the result of greater media coverage and tighter government scrutiny. GM already paid $35 million in fines levied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for delays in the ignition switch recall, and Hyundai this week was slapped with a $17.35 million fine for delaying a recall for faulty brakes.
(For more on Hyundai’s problems, Click Here.)