by Mike Colias, Crain News Service
DETROIT (Dec. 2, 2014) — General Motors Co. is recalling 316,357 older-model SUVs and sedans for a problem with malfunctioning headlamps.
The recall covers 2006-07 Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy SUVs; 2006 TrailBlazer EXT and Envoy XL; 2006-07 Buick Rainier SUVs; 2006-09 Buick LaCrosse sedans; 2006-08 Saab 9-7X SUVs; and 2006-08 Isuzu Ascender SUVs.
“If the headlamp driver module is not operating correctly, the low-beam headlamps and daytime running lamps could intermittently or permanently fail to illuminate,” GM said in an emailed statement. The defect does not affect the high-beam headlamps, marker lamps, turn signals or fog lamps, according to the auto maker.
The company said it “has not been able to confirm” whether the defect caused any accidents.
GM notified its dealers of the recall in a memo last week, which said it still is working on a fix. GM said it has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the recall. The agency has not yet posted the recall on its website. http://www.gm.com/?seo=ysm_|_GM+GM.com+-+X2000924_|_AWR-GM+HV-Exact_|_GM+HV_|_general%20motors
The total number of U.S. vehicles included in the recall is 273,182.
The headlamp callback is GM's 79th announced recall campaign this year, covering about 26.8 million U.S. vehicles and 30.4 million globally.
The pace of GM's recalls has slowed considerably since the first half of the year, when the company averaged about two recalls a week amid an exhaustive review of potential safety defects in older models. That process was triggered by the recall of 2.6 million small cars for defective ignition switches.
The latest recall is GM's third during the fourth quarter and first since an Oct. 7 callback of 1,147 2015 Cadillac Escalades for a potential problem with the passenger airbag cover.
Separately, the compensation fund for ignition-switch victims said Dec. 1 that the number of deaths tied to the defect rose to 36, from 35. The fund, overseen by victims compensation attorney Kenneth Feinberg, also has approved claims for five serious injuries and 39 less-serious injuries linked to the ignition switch.
This report appeared on the website of Automotive News, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.