GM recalls 717,950 vehicles

By Mike Colias, Crain News Service 

DETROIT (July 23, 2014) — General Motors Co. is recalling 717,950 mostly 2010-12 model year cars and crossovers, raising the number of vehicles recalled this year to abouit 29 million in 60 separate safety campaigns.

GM said the safety defects in the latest vehicles being recalled have been linked to two crashes and three injuries.

The largest campaign covers 414,333 cars and crossovers with power height-adjustable driver or front passenger seats. GM said a bolt that secures the height-adjuster actuator may come loose or fall out, causing the seat to move up and down freely.

“The vehicles are safe to drive, but customers should not use the power height adjustable feature until dealers can replace the height adjuster bolt,” GM said.

The problem affects 2011-12 Chevrolet Camaro coupes; 2010-12 Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers; 2011-12 Buick Regal and LaCrosse sedans; and 2010-12 Cadillac SRX crossovers.

GM said it knows of one crash and three injuries related to the problem but no fatalities.

The other recalls announced today are:

•  2014 Chevrolet Caprice and SS sedans; 2014-15 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light- and heavy-duty pickups; 2013-14 Cadillac ATS sedans; 2014 Cadillac CTS sedans; 2014 Cadillac ELR plug-in hybrids; and 2013-14 Buick Encore crossovers — total of 124,008 vehicles. GM said some of the vehicles "may have an incomplete weld on the seat hook bracket assembly," caused by loss of power to a laser welding machine. It's asking dealers to inspect the welds and replace the lower seat track if necessary. GM estimates that less than 1 percent of the welds are bad.

•  2011-13 Buick Regal and 2013 Chevy Malibu sedans to fix a problem with the front turn signal — 120,426 cars.

•  2014 Chevrolet Impala sedans equipped with belt-drive electric power steering —  57,242 cars. GM said some owners might experience “reduced or no power-steering assist at start-up or while driving due to a poor electrical ground connection to the power steering control module,” which would make the car more difficult to steer. GM said paint may have seeped behind the nut on the power steering control module ground stud. It's asking dealers to inspect for paint from behind the ground nut and clean it if necessary, before tightening the nut and updating the control module's software. The company said it knows of one related crash but no injuries.

• 2014-15 Chevy Spark minicars (1,919 units), which were assembled with a lower control arm bolt that wasn't fastened properly. The flaw could cause the lower control arm to separate from the steering knuckle, resulting in a loss of steering control.

• 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban SUVs and GMC Yukon and Yukon Denali SUVs for improperly attached roof carriers — 22 vehicles.

“These recalls signify how we've enhanced our approach to safety,” Jeff Boyer, GM's global safety chief, said in a statement. “If we identify an issue — large or small — that might affect the safety of our customers, we will act decisivel

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This story appeared on autonews.com, the website of Automotive News, a sister publication of Tire Business.