A GM recall of 1.5 million automobiles worldwide was announced Tuesday. The GM recall issue is a heated windshield wiper fluid system that has caught fire in a couple of cases. General Motors Co. is recalling numerous of the vehicles a second time for the very same problem. Technicians at GM dealers will disable the system, that was made by a vendor who has since gone bankrupt. Vehicle owners will receive $100 as compensation for the loss of the feature.
The GM recall list
The GM recall list contains pickup trucks, crossovers and passenger car models from 2006 to 2009. It was reported by the Associated Press that a 2008 GM recall of more than 900,000 vehicles addressed the same problem. The ground wire could overheat by a short circuit. Some reports even included fires. GM said there is no report of injuries or crashes by there were five fires. Nearly 1.4 million cars within the GM recall are in the U.S. and more than 100,000 cars are in Canada, Mexico and other international markets.
Windshield wiper heater shorts out
Within the 2008 recall by GM, dealers installed a fuse to shut off the system within the event of a short circuit. It was reported by CNNMoney.com that the problem within the current GM recall is not related to the one involved in the first recall. Within the five autos that caught fire, an analysis showed the fire is not being stopped by the fuse.
Windshield wiper heater disabled
After the first GM recall, GM said it had kept track of the HotShot system made by Micro-Heat. The Detroit Free Press reports that GM withheld payments from Micro-Heat after the first recall to cover its costs, and the company was forced to file for bankruptcy and liquidate. GM said because Micro-Heat existed no longer, it could not provide an improved design. For the new recall, dealers could have to remove the fluid heater and reroute some hoses.
Rebounding from GM bailout, bankruptcy
Before the latest recall, GM had posted a first quarter profit — the very first time it had been within the black since 2007. In 2009 the GM bailout of more than $50 billion prevented GM from going into bankruptcy after the business posted losses of $6 billion. GM recently repaid a portion of the bailout and radical restructuring has put the company back on the road to profitability. U.S. auto sales for GM brands were up 17 percent compared to May 2009. GM’s sales gains were led by a 32 percent rise in sales of four of the brands that survived its bankruptcy filing: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac.
All of the brands on recall list
Vehicle owners will start receiving GM recall letters later this month. Within the meantime, people who own the GM brands on the recall list below can contact their dealer to have the heated washer system taken off their car.
The Buick Enclave, 2008-2009
The Buick Lucerne, 2006-2009
The Cadillac CTS, 2008-2009.
The brand Cadillac DTS, 2006-2009
The brand Cadillac Escalade, 2007-2009
The brand Cadillac Escalade DSV, 2007-2009
Cadillac Escalade EXT 2007-2009
The brand Chevrolet Avalanche, 2007-2009
Chevrolet Silverado 3500 2007-2009
The brand Chevrolet Suburban, 2007-2009
The brand Chevrolet Tahoe, 2007-2009
Chevrolet Traverse, 2009
GMC Acadia, 2007-2009
The GMC Sierra, 2007-2009
GMC Yukon, 2007-2009
The brand GMC Yukon XL, 2007-2009
Hummer H2, 2006-2009
The brand Saturn Outlook, 2007-2009
Additional information at these websites
Associated Press
google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jgT-fFgV3QIGddh2EA_7mmZE4wVwD9G7660G0
CNN Money.com
money.cnn.com/2010/06/08/autos/gm_washer_heater_recall/?npt=NP1
Detroit Free Press
freep.com/article/20100608/BUSINESS0101/100608018/1210/BUSINESS01/Fire-prone-wiper-fluid-gear-sparks-GM-recall
