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

AUGUST 2008 -- GM is recalling 857,735 MY 2006-2008 Buick Lucerne; Cadillac DTS; Hummer H2; MY 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe; GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Saturn Outlook; and MY 2008 Buick Enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire. Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule.  08V441

AUGUST 2008 -- GM is recalling 88,809 MY 2008 Buick Enclave, and MY 2007-2008 GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook vehicles currently or previously registered in the following states: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia. If a buildup of snow or ice on the windshield or on the wipers restricts the movement of the wiper arm, the windshield wiper linkage may become detached from the motor shaft and the wipers may become inoperative. If this were to occur, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a vehicle crash. Dealers will install a new wiper crank arm, driver's side link, and a crank arm nut. The recall is expected to begin during October 2008.  08V-410

NEWS:    GM recalls 944,000 vehicles for fire hazard

Recall involves vehicles that are equipped with windshield washer fluid heaters.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- August 28, 2008 -- General Motors is recalling 944,000 vehicles, 850,000 of them in the United States, because of the potential for a fire in the vehicles' heated windshield washer fluid system.

A short circuit in the circuit board that controls the system could cause a grounding wire to overheat. That could lead to smoke and the malfunctioning of other electrical components, GM (GM, Fortune 500) said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In rare cases, it could cause a fire, GM said.

GM is aware of three fires caused by this problem, two of which were in the company's own test fleet vehicles, GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said. The company is not aware of any injuries caused by the problem.

The vehicles must be turned on for the short circuit to occur, Wilkinson said, but he could not say whether the washer fluid heating system needed to be in use.

The models listed below, if they're equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid system, are subject to the recall:

The fluid heating system is a popular option on many of GM's large cars and SUVs, said Wilkinson.

On cold days, the system heats windshield washer fluid before spraying it onto the windshield, where it can melt ice and frost on the windshield.

To fix the problem, dealers will install a fuse that will shut off the system in the event of a short circuit. GM has not yet provided NHTSA with a schedule detailing when owners of affected vehicles will be notified.

MORE RECALL INFORMATION:

• Buick Lucerne

• Buick Enclave

• Cadillac DTS

• Cadillac Escalade

• Chevrolet Avalanche

• Chevrolet Silverado

• Chevrolet Suburban

• Chevrolet Tahoe

• GMC Acadia

• GMC Sierra

• GMC Yukon

• Saturn Outlook

NEWS:    GM Recalls Buicks, GMCs, Saturns to Fix Wipers

ConsumerAffairs.com -- August 28, 2008 -- General Motors is recalling 88,809 of the 2008 Buick Enclaves, 2007 to 2008 GMC Acadias and Saturn Outlooks to repair the windshield wipers.

The recall involves GM vehicles currently or previously registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.

The buildup of snow or ice on the windshield or wipers could restrict the movement of the wiper arm, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) Web site.

"The wiper link may become detached from the motor shaft and the wipers many become inoperative," the safety agency warned, causing poor visibility and perhaps resulting in a crash.

GM dealers will install new parts required to remedy the windshield wiper defect when the recall gets underway in October.

Consumers can contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, and Saturn at 1-800- 972-8876.

More Recall Information: 

• Buick Enclave 

• GMC Acadia

• Saturn Outlook

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