General Motors is recalling more than a million Chevrolet Cobalts, Pontiac G5s, Pontiac Pursuits sold in Canada and Pontiac G4s sold in Mexico. They have power-steering motors that can fail in what GM says are rare cases. Note that the recall comes after regulators got complaints and opened an investigation. Some 1,100 hundred GM owners told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about power-steering failure, reports the Associated Press. Would be interesting to see how long GM itself has been getting complaints.
The GM problems are less serious than the Toyota accelerator disaster. Even if the power-steering motor dies you can still steer the cars. There are reports of 14 crashes and one injury in the complaints that NHTSA got, says AP. Even so, the GM recalls will remove the focus from Toyota, at least for now. But Toyota has a long, long way to go to repair its reputation.
From the AP story:
General Motors announced very early this morning that it is recalling 1.3 million compact cars in North America due to a power steering problem linked to 14 crashes and one injury.
What is affected: the 2005-2010 model year Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007-2010 Pontiac G5 in the United States; 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada, and the 2005-2006 Pontiac G4 sold in Mexico.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation on Jan. 27 into about 905,000 Cobalt models after logging more than 1,100 complaints of power steering failures. GM said in a statement those vehicles can be still be "safely controlled" but may require greater steering effort under 15 mph. Drivers will see a warning light and hear a chime if the power steering fails.
GM says it is trying to fix the problem and will notify customers when it has a plan of action.
Speaking of recalls, Toyota global quality control chief Shinichi Sasaki and North American President Yoshimi Inaba are expected to appear before a Senate committee today for a third hearing on how Toyota handled consumer complaints.
Yesterday, news came that Toyota is expected to offer incentives to attempt to lure customers back to buying their cars following a massive recall following at least 34 deaths due to sudden acceleration. The incentives are said to include zero-percent financing for five years, cash rebates of $500 to $3000 and two years free maintenence.
DETROIT — 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," Jamie Hresko, 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.
The recall comes at a time of heightened interest in auto safety after sudden acceleration problems experienced in some Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles.Toyota has had to recall 8.5 million vehicles worldwide to fix problems with sticky gas pedals, floor mats that can snag the gas pedal and cause unintended acceleration, and brake software problems with the Prius gas-electric hybrid.
Toyota executives have been summoned to testify before congressional committees investigating the company's actions and whether NHTSA did enough to make sure the Toyotas are safe.
The GM problems are less serious than the Toyota accelerator disaster. Even if the power-steering motor dies you can still steer the cars. There are reports of 14 crashes and one injury in the complaints that NHTSA got, says AP. Even so, the GM recalls will remove the focus from Toyota, at least for now. But Toyota has a long, long way to go to repair its reputation.
From the AP story:
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.
Does the latest GM recall affect you?
General Motors announced very early this morning that it is recalling 1.3 million compact cars in North America due to a power steering problem linked to 14 crashes and one injury. What is affected: the 2005-2010 model year Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007-2010 Pontiac G5 in the United States; 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada, and the 2005-2006 Pontiac G4 sold in Mexico.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation on Jan. 27 into about 905,000 Cobalt models after logging more than 1,100 complaints of power steering failures. GM said in a statement those vehicles can be still be "safely controlled" but may require greater steering effort under 15 mph. Drivers will see a warning light and hear a chime if the power steering fails.
GM says it is trying to fix the problem and will notify customers when it has a plan of action.
Speaking of recalls, Toyota global quality control chief Shinichi Sasaki and North American President Yoshimi Inaba are expected to appear before a Senate committee today for a third hearing on how Toyota handled consumer complaints.
Yesterday, news came that Toyota is expected to offer incentives to attempt to lure customers back to buying their cars following a massive recall following at least 34 deaths due to sudden acceleration. The incentives are said to include zero-percent financing for five years, cash rebates of $500 to $3000 and two years free maintenence.
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GM Recall 2010: 1.3 Million Cars Include Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5, And Others
DETROIT — 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," Jamie Hresko, 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.
The recall comes at a time of heightened interest in auto safety after sudden acceleration problems experienced in some Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles.Toyota executives have been summoned to testify before congressional committees investigating the company's actions and whether NHTSA did enough to make sure the Toyotas are safe.
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