DETROIT — General Motors and Isuzu are recalling more than 258,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada to fix short-circuits in power window and door lock switches that can cause fires.
The recall covers Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 97-X SUVs from the 2006 and 2007 model years. The SUVs were sold or registered in 20 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Canada, where salt and other chemicals are used to clear roads in the winter.
GM has reports of 28 fires. The company said it doesn’t know of any injuries caused by the problem.
Fluid can get inside the driver’s door and cause corrosion in the power window and door switch circuit boards, GM said in documents posted on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. The corrosion can cause short-circuits, knocking out the switches and causing fires.
The recall affects SUVs sold or registered in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Dealers will replace the power window switch for free. Owners will get letters telling them when to schedule appointments. GM also will replace switches at no cost to owners living in states not covered by the recall, spokesman Alan Adler said in an email.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started investigating the SUVs in February after getting a dozen complaints of fires.
In one complaint filed with NHTSA, from Oct. 29, 2008, a woman reported that the alarm sounded while her 2006 TrailBlazer was parked in her driveway. When she looked outside, she saw the SUV in flames. Firefighters put out the blaze and told her it started in the driver’s door.
“The fire burned the entire driver’s side of the vehicle, a portion of the front passenger seat and the roof,” she wrote.
The TrailBlazer was the biggest seller among the SUVs, which helped to make the truck-based sport utility vehicle popular in the U.S. The SUVs were phased out in 2009 and replaced by more efficient car-based crossovers such as the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia.
GM manufactured the Ascender for Isuzu, and Saab was part of GM back when the SUVs were built.
LOL,
yup! that is all I could do also. LOL
What’s funny? like GM never had recalls before they got bailed out? Things happen computers and people make mistakes. How many of you, would be calling the GM workers,
lazy no goods, for loosing their jobs?
Searoses. It is funny because GM has continuously cut corners in quality. They have done it for years. I own a Chevy Tahoe which would have been a $30,000 vehicle when it was new, don’t get me wrong I love the vehicle but it amazes me how many areas GM decided to slack on quality and cut a corner just to make its production cheaper on their end and their end only. My Hyundai Elantra which I would consider to be your “on a budget” car, doesn’t seem to have those flaws. Everything on the car feels solidly placed and even after 150,000 miles on Maine roads, it still has a very solid feel. I’m not just talking about the ride it gives either. I’m talking about things like the light switches, and the various controls and switches all feel like they did when the car was new. The Tahoe has things falling off the dash, and the blower motor sometimes doesn’t work, the power locks stopped working and the power seats on the passenger side have stopped working. I’m even missing a dial off my stereo. The top of the dash has cracked and makes a horrible rattle sound. That is after only 132,000 miles of the same Maine roads. See my point now? I’m not bashing GM or their employees. I’m not one of those people that say that one manufacture is the best and all the rest are junk because that is not true. There are many good vehicles out there from all makes and models. I know that all vehicle manufactures have their fair share of recalls. GM just needs learn a lesson from this. Same as Toyota learned a lesson from their huge warranty return on older Tacomas due to rust because they didn’t treat the frames properly.
I see the bail out did GM good. Their stock is only worth 20 something dollars a share.. Has to get upto around 50 dollars a share for the tax payers to break even.
The Red Button………http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io6CmKJgnuM