GM recall
March 2, 2010
The GM recall follows a federal probe launched in January after more than a thousand drivers complained of power steering failures that made the US automaker's vehicles hard to control. The complaints included 14 crashes and one injury
The recall in the US, Canada and Mexico affects 2005 to 2010 model year Chevrolet Cobalts, 2007 to 2010 Pontiac G5s, 2005 and 2006 Pontiac Pursuits, 2005 and 2006 Pontiac G4s.
A spokesman for Chevrolet Deutschland said the recall affects “only North American and has nothing to do with Germany or Europe.” A spokeswoman from Opel, a subsidy of GM, confirmed that only North American cars were impacted by the recall but could not say whether any of the recalled cars had been imported into Europe.
GM spokesman Alan Adler told the Associated Press the failures are rare and the cars can still be driven until the power steering motors are replaced. The cars never lose their steering but may be harder to steer when traveling under 15 mph.
Adler said it will take time for the automaker to receive 1.3 new power steering motors from its supplier, JTEKT Corp., and GM will notify car owners when the parts are available.
The recall comes on the heels of a decision by Japanese carmaker Toyota to recall 8.5 million vehicles worldwide to fix sudden acceleration problems.
Author: John Blau
Editor: Michael Lawton