General Motors
General Motors said that the ignition key on some of its 2005-09 cars and light trucks may be difficult to remove and/or bind in the lock cylinder when trying to start the vehicle. The carmaker attributes the condition to a badly designed cylinder. Installing an improved lock cylinder, part No. 20869121, will eliminate further trouble. Full installation and coding instructions are provided with the new part.
Vehicles that are most susceptible to the condition and can benefit from the new lock cylinder design are 2005-09 Chevy Cobalts; 2006-09 Pontiac Solstice sports cars; 2006-10 Chevy HHRs; and 2007-09 Chevy Equinox SUVs and Pontiac G5 coupes.
Jaguar
Some 2002-07 S-Type, 2003-06 XK8, 2004-07 XJ and 2007 XK models may produce a chirp or squeal from the drive belt on the first start in the morning or following an extended period of inactivity. Jaguar attributes the noise to improper tracking of the belt on the various pulleys. The fix depends on which engine is in the vehicle.
On naturally-aspirated engines, replace the stock idler pulley with a new-design, flanged pulley, (part No. C2C 37064), then install a new drive belt. On supercharged engines, replace the stock idler pulley with a new grooved pulley (part No. C2S 46862), then install a revised pulley bracket (part No. C2C 37056), belt tensioner (part No. C2C 37057) and drive belt.
Toyota
Owners of 2003-07 Corolla and Matrix models may complain of an irritating squeak from the front brakes when hitting the pedal while moving slowly in Reverse.
One likely cause for the noise, says Toyota, is the front brake pads vibrating in the caliper mounts. Installing new-design caliper mounts (part No. 47721-02141), brake pad support plates (part No. 04947-02120) and bushing dust boots (part No. 47775-02090) should eliminate the noise and prevent further trouble.
"Factory Fixes" is written by Jim DePalma, a 30-year veteran of the auto repair business who has served stints as a service manager, parts manager and ASE-certified technician. His column provides vehicle manufacturers' authentic factory technical service bulletins (TSBs) that have been condensed for easier reading. Mr. DePalma advises that techs always check with a dealer or repair information system for the latest revisions before starting to work on a vehicle. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].