General Motors recalls another 1.5 million vehicles

USPA News - General Motors on Monday announced a new recall of another 1.5 million vehicles - newer sport utility cars, luxury sedans, and full size vans - due to faulty side air bag wiring. It comes on the heels of reports that at least a dozen people died in crashes linked to similar problems.

The vehicles, involving the 2008-2013 Buick Eclaves and the GMC Acadia, along with the 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverses and the 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook, were recalled to repair the wiring harness of seat-mounted side air bags. The vehicles part of the recall are equipped with warning lights that read "Service Air Bag." If the warning light is ignored, it can eventually result in non-deployment of the side air bags, front center air bags, and the seat belt pretensioners. 2009-2014 Chevrolet Expresses and GMC Savanas were recalled to rework instrument panel material to meet compliance for unbelted passengers. 2013 and some 2014 Cadillac XTS models were also recalled to prevent possible brake booster corrosion that may result in overheating. "I asked our team to redouble our efforts on our pending product reviews, bring them forward and resolve them quickly. That is what today`s GM is all about," said GM CEO Mary Barra in a statement disclosing Monday`s recalls. Unsold vehicles have been placed on a delivery stop until development of the solution has been completed and parts are available. Customers will be notified at that time and repairs will be made at no charge to customers, the company said, adding that it will take a charge of approximately $300 million in the first quarter primarily for the cost of the repairs. "Today`s announcement underscores the focus we`re putting on the safety and peace of mind of our customers. We are conducting an intense review of our internal processes and will have more developments to announce as we move forward," Barra added. Barra previously acknowledged that the company fell short in catching faulty ignition switches that have been linked to at least twelve deaths across the United States and led to last month`s recall of 1.6 million older-model cars. The company was hit with the first lawsuit related to the ignition switch recall in a Texas federal court on Friday. General Motors and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world`s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands.