Another big recall for GM: 2.7 million vehicles
General Motors will pay $35 million in a settlement with the federal government over its failure to swiftly report a defective ignition switch in two-and-a-half million smaller cars.
General Motors announced another mammoth recall Thursday, this time for 2.7 million vehicles in the U.S., including its Corvette, Malibu sedans, Silverado pickup trucks and millions of older cars.
The bulk of the recall involves about 2.4 million 2004-12 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-07 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, 2005-10 Pontiac G6 and 2007-10 Saturn Auras model cars to fix faulty brake lamp wiring.
Corrosion in the wiring could result in brake lamps failing to illuminate when the brakes are applied or brake lamps illuminating when the brakes are not engaged. Additionally, cruise control, traction control, electronic stability control and panic braking assist operation could be disabled.
GM said it was aware of several hundred complaints, 13 crashes and two injuries but no fatalities as a result of the condition.
Another 300,000 vehicles were recalled worldwide.
The automaker already previously recalled about 2.6 million vehicles in the U.S. this year because of an ignition switch issue in older cars that has been linked to 13 deaths. The company is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Justice, which want to know why GM waited more than a decade after it knew of the defect to recall the cars.
Automakers so far this year have recalled about 17 million vehicles in the U.S. With more than seven months to go, that figure is on pace to break the industry’s recall record of 30.8 million vehicles set in 2004.
Other vehicles called back by GM Thursday include 103,158 older Chevrolet Corvettes for a headlight problem, 140,067 Chevrolet Malibus from the 2014 model year for a hydraulic brake booster malfunction, 19,225 Cadillac CTS 2013-14 models for windshield wiper failures and 477 full-size trucks from the 2014 and 2015 model years for a tie-rod defect that can lead to a crash
“We have redoubled our efforts to expedite and resolve current reviews in process and also have identified and analyzed recent vehicle issues which require action,” said Jeff Boyer, vice president of GM Global Vehicle Safety. “These are examples of our focus to surface issues quickly and promptly take necessary actions in the best interest of our customers.”
GM said it would take a $200-million charge against second-quarter earnings to cover the cost of the repairs.
