Move over Toyota, GM is joining the recall game. General Motors announced that they are recalling more than a million Chevrolet Cobalts (2005-2010), Pontiac G5s (2007-2010), Pontiac Pursuits (2005-2006) sold in Canada and Pontiac G4s (2005-2006) sold in Mexico. Theses models have power-steering motors that may fail, though GM maintains that cases of failure are rare. However, 1,100 GM owners filed reports with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about power-steering failure, according to the Associated Press. The recall comes after complaints led regulators to open an investigation on January 27th to look into the problem. GM concluded its own investigation Monday, which has been ongoing since 2009, and announced the voluntary recall.
These power-steering issues are less of a threat to the driver that the Toyota unintentional acceleration issues – you can still steer the car without the power steering, it’s just more difficult. Of all of the complaints to the NHTSA, only 14 resulted in crashes and only one of those involved an injury.
A warning light and a chime alert the driver if power steering fails, and older models are most affected. ”After our in-depth investigation we found that this is a condition that takes time to develop. It tends to occur in older models out of warranty,” GM Vice President of Quality Jamie Hresko stated. “Recalling these vehicles is the right thing to do for our customers’ peace of mind.”
GM’s recall comes at a time when the spotlight is on vehicle safety issues and regulation because of the massive Toyota recalls earlier this year. GM is developing a fix, and will notify customers as soon as possible.
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