Accident Reconstruction Network > News > February 2005 >02/10/05

Accident Reconstruction News Article

GM Recalls More Than 193,000 Vehicles

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - News) is recalling more than 193,000 vehicles on the U.S. market to fix a variety of safety defects, federal safety regulators said on Thursday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the recalls included one covering 155,465 pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans that may suffer hydraulic fluid leaks, causing increased steering and braking effort and potential crashes.

Vehicles affected, all from the 2004-2005 model years, include the Avalanche, Express, Kodiak, Silverado and Suburban from GM's Chevrolet division. GMC's Savana, Sierra, Topkick, Yukon XL and the Hummer H2 were also affected, NHTSA said.

It said the potential hydraulic leaks were caused by a faulty component in hydro-boost brake assemblies from Bosch (ROBG.UL).

Separately, the agency said 19,924 Cadillac SRX and Cadillac XLRs, along with Pontiac Grand Prix models from the 2004 model year, were being recalled because of potential problems with their accelerator pedals.

Lastly, NHTSA said GM was recalling 17,815 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Isuzu Ascender SUVs from the 2005 model year because their windshields may not have been mounted properly.

"If a crash occurs, the windshield may not be retained, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant," NHTSA said.

GM, the world's largest automaker, recalled more than 10 million vehicles in 2004 -- a year that saw a record number of recalls across the industry.

In Germany, a spokeswoman for Bosch told Reuters hydro-boost brakes for use in certain models such as pickups and SUVs were being examined.

"In very few instances, the braking force applied by the booster did not function properly," she said, citing a faulty part supplied to Bosch.

Since Bosch declared itself the world's largest automotive supplier late last month, it has been plagued by bad news after supplying defective diesel fuel-injection pumps to several major European carmakers. (Additional reporting by Hendrik Sackmann in Stuttgart and Christiaan Hetzner in Frankfurt)

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