MAY  2010 -- General Motors is recalling certain model year 2010 Cadillac SRX equipped with a 2.8l V6 engine. If low octane (regular) fuel is used in the vehicle instead of the required high octane (premium) fuel as stated in the owner manual and on the fuel filler door, the combination of regular fuel usage and aggressive driving maneuvers may induce pre-ignition. If pre-ignition occurs, you may hear a pinging or knocking sound from the engine. If the vehicle continues to be driven after the onset of this noise, a connecting rod or piston may break, resulting in engine damage, and perhaps engine failure, which would disable the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will reprogram the engine control module free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before June 11, 2010.   GM's recall campaign number is N100093. 10V-223

NEWS:   GM recalling 1.5M vehicles over fire concerns

YAHOO NEWS – June 8, 2010 – General Motors Co. said Tuesday it was recalling about 1.5 million vehicles worldwide to address a problem with a heated windshield wiper fluid system that could lead to a fire, its second recall over the issue in two years.

The recall affects several pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, crossovers and passenger car models from the 2006 to 2009 model years. GM conducted a similar recall in 2008 but came across new reports of fires in vehicles that had been fixed.

GM said it would disable the heated washer fluid system module that could lead to fires. The Detroit automaker will pay owners and those leasing vehicles $100 each since the feature is being disabled.

GM said it was aware of five fires but there had been no injuries or crashes reported. Nearly 1.4 million vehicles are in the U.S. and more than 100,000 vehicles are in Canada, Mexico and other international markets.

"While our analysis shows the number of incidents is very small compared with the number of vehicles on the road, we want our customers to have complete peace of mind," said Jeff Boyer, GM's executive director of safety.

The recall covers the 2006-2009 model year Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, and Hummer H2; 2008-2009 Buick Enclave and Cadillac CTS; 2007-2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT; 2007-2009 Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe; 2007-2009 GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL; 2007-2009 Saturn Outlook; and 2009 Chevrolet Traverse.

The auto company said customers will begin to receive recall letters later this month but can contact their dealer to make an appointment to have the heated washer system removed. Dealers will remove the heated washer fluid module and reroute washer fluid hoses.

GM said the technology was available from only one supplier, Microheat Inc., of Farmington Hills, Mich., which went out of business, preventing GM from working with another supplier on an improved design.

GM recalled more than 900,000 vehicles because of the heated washer fluid system in August 2008 because a short circuit on the circuit board could overheat the ground wire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had opened an investigation in February 2008 into 2007 Yukon and Tahoe vehicles over potential engine compartment fires.

The government closed its investigation after the 2008 recall but GM later came across fires in vehicles that had been fixed under the previous recall, prompting the latest safety action.

MORE RECALL INFO

• Buick Enclave
• Buick Lucerne
• Cadillac CTS
• Cadillac DTS
• Cadillac Escalade, ESV and EXT
• Chevrolet Avalanche
• Chevrolet Silverado
• Chevrolet Suburban
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• Chevrolet Traverse
• GMC Acadia
• GMC Sierra
• GMC Yukon and Yukon XL
• Hummer H2
• Saturn Outlook

DECEMBER 2009 - GM is recalling model year 2010 Cadillac DTS vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims". The tire and loading information label, which lists the proper tire and vehicle loading information, was not installed on the vehicle. In addition, there are two labels affixed to affected vehicles that incorrectly describe them as an incomplete vehicle. One label is the vehicle certification label, which certifies that the vehicle conforms to all applicable U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety, bumper, and theft prevention standards. The second label is the service parts identification label, which lists various components used in the manufacturing of the vehicle. Driving the vehicle with tires that are not properly inflated could result in tire overloading, premature or irregular wear, and/or poor handling increasing the risk of a crash. GM will mail the three correct labels to owners along with installation instructions. Owners may also take the vehicle and the labels to a dealer for installation. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on December 22, 2009.   09V-480

MAY 2009 --  GM is recalling 27,188 MY 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade Hybrid, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe, Tahoe Hybrid, and Colorado; and GMC Yukon, Yukon Hybrid, Yukon XL, and Canyon vehicles. The fuel system control modules may have a condition in which an adhesive separation of the room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) seal between the seal and the housing may allow water to seep into the module. Water in the module could cause a short or open circuit, illumination of the service engine soon lamp, setting of diagnostic trouble codes or the engine may be hard to start, may not start or may stall increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will install a new fuel system control module free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2009.  09V-154

NOVEMBER 2008 -- GM is recalling 12,662 MY 2009 Cadillac CTS vehicles for failing to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.” Under certain conditions, a software condition within the passenger sensing system may disable the front passenger air bag when it should be enabled or enable it when it should be disabled. In a vehicle crash, if the front passenger air bag does not operate as designed, increased personal injury could occur. Dealers will reprogram the passenger sensing system module free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2008. . 08V582

AUGUST 2008 -- GM is recalling 857,735 MY 2006-2008 Buick Lucerne; Cadillac DTS; Hummer H2; MY 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe; GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Saturn Outlook; and MY 2008 Buick Enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire. Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule.  08V441

SEPTEMBER 2008 -- General Motors is recalling 17,301 MY 2004 Cadillac SRX vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the transmission shift lever can be moved from the "park" position with the ignition "on" and without the operator depressing the brake pedal or, in some cases, the shifter can be moved from the "park" position with the ignition turned “off.” If the vehicle is parked or parked on a slope, this condition could allow the vehicle to roll increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will replace the pawl stopper and a bushing within the shifter assembly free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008.   08V527

MARCH 2008 -- GM is recalling 4,586 MY 2008 Cadillac STS and STS-V passenger vehicles for failing to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems" (TPMS). The standard requires an indication to the driver for certain TPMS malfunctions. When the system detects a malfunction, the low tire warning light should flash for about one minute and then stay on the remainder of the ignition cycle. A driver information center message will also be displayed on the instrument panel. These indications of a system malfunction do not work. Premature tire failure could result in a loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will reprogram the remote control door lock receiver module. The recall began on March 18, 2008. . 08V108

DECEMBER 2007 -- GM is recalling 275,936 MY 2005-2007 Cadillac CTS, SRX, STS, MY 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice, and MY 2007 Saturn Sky passenger vehicles. The rear axle pinion seal does not meet all of the specifications and may experience a fluid leak. A rear differential failure may cause loss of motive power and possibly loss of vehicle control increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will replace the pinion seal. The recall is expected to begin during February 2008. 07V-589

OCTOBER 2007 -- GM GM is recalling 9,648 MY 2007 Cadillac CTS model vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 118, 'Power Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems.' Under the standard, the sunroof may only be closed when the ignition is on, or after the ignition is turned off, but before either of the front doors are opened. The affected vehicles may exhibit a condition where the sunroof can be closed after the ignition is turned off and the doors are opened. This standard specifies requirements for power operated window, partition, and roof panel systems to minimize the likelihood of death or injury from their accidental operation. Dealers will install a wire harness. The manufacturer has not yet provided a recall notification schedule for this campaign. 07V-468

NEWS:    GM recalls 944,000 vehicles for fire hazard

Recall involves vehicles that are equipped with windshield washer fluid heaters.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- August 28, 2008 -- General Motors is recalling 944,000 vehicles, 850,000 of them in the United States, because of the potential for a fire in the vehicles' heated windshield washer fluid system.

A short circuit in the circuit board that controls the system could cause a grounding wire to overheat. That could lead to smoke and the malfunctioning of other electrical components, GM (GM, Fortune 500) said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In rare cases, it could cause a fire, GM said.

GM is aware of three fires caused by this problem, two of which were in the company's own test fleet vehicles, GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said. The company is not aware of any injuries caused by the problem.

The vehicles must be turned on for the short circuit to occur, Wilkinson said, but he could not say whether the washer fluid heating system needed to be in use.

The models listed below, if they're equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid system, are subject to the recall:

The fluid heating system is a popular option on many of GM's large cars and SUVs, said Wilkinson.

On cold days, the system heats windshield washer fluid before spraying it onto the windshield, where it can melt ice and frost on the windshield.

To fix the problem, dealers will install a fuse that will shut off the system in the event of a short circuit. GM has not yet provided NHTSA with a schedule detailing when owners of affected vehicles will be notified.

MORE RECALL INFORMATION:

• Buick Lucerne

• Buick Enclave

• Cadillac DTS

• Cadillac Escalade

• Chevrolet Avalanche

• Chevrolet Silverado

• Chevrolet Suburban

• Chevrolet Tahoe

• GMC Acadia

• GMC Sierra

• GMC Yukon

• Saturn Outlook

NEWS:    NHTSA Investigates 2.7 Million GM Trucks, SUVs

Fire hazard probed in 21 models

ConsumerAffairs.com -- June 17, 2008 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has intensified a investigation of 21 models of General Motors trucks and SUVS manufactured between 2006 and 2008 because of the possibility of an engine compartment fire.

More than 2,700,000 GM trucks and SUVs are the subject of the the investigation because of the possibility that a fire might erupt inside the engine compartment, even when the ignition is turned off.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) at the federal safety agency reported that investigators are now aware of "41 non-crash engine compartment fires" in the GM trucks and SUVs including 8 fires that may have caused significant property damage.

The GM vehicles under investigation are:

• Cadillac Escalade ESV and EXT from the 2007 and 2008 model years
• Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 from the 2007 and 2008 model years
• 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche 2500
• 2007 Chevrolet Silverado
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 from the 2007 and 2008 model years
• Chevrolet Suburban 1500 and 2500 from the 2007 and 2008 model years
• Chevrolet Tahoe from the 2007 and 2008 models year
• 2008 GMC Sierra,
• GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 from the 2007 and 2008 model years
• 2007 GMC Sierra Classic
• 2007 GMC Silverado, GMC Yukon from the 2007 and 2008 model years
• GMC Yukon XL 1500, XL 2500 from the 2007 and 2008 model years
• Hummer H2 from the 2006 to 2007 model years
• 2008 Hummer H2 Utility, and •the Hummer H2 from the 2006 to 2008 model years

"GM provided ODI with 41 allegations of non-crash engine compartment fires including 16 allegations of fires origination with the ignition in the off position," according to the NHTSA Web site.

Investigators are examining the electrical system, engine and engine cooling system; battery cables; under-hood wiring, fuses and circuit breakers.

NHTSA investigator are now call the probe an "engineering analysis" which could eventually lead to a recall of the General Motors trucks and SUVs.

MORE RECALL INFORMATION:

• Cadillac Escalade

• Chevrolet Avalanche

• Chevrolet Silverado

• Chevrolet Suburban

• Chevrolet Tahoe

• GMC Sierra

• GMC Yukon

• Hummer H2