GM Recalls 1.5 Million Vehicles

[OhioChick]

No Reports Of Injuries, Automaker Says

POSTED: 7:13 pm EDT April 13, 2009
UPDATED: 7:23 pm EDT April 13, 2009

General Motors Corp. is recalling 1.5 million vehicles because of potential engine fires.

GM said there have been no reports of any fires or injuries.

Some of the recalled vehicles are no longer in production. The recall includes the 1998-1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue, the 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix, 1997-2003 Buick Regal, and the 1998-2003 Chevrolet Lumina, Monte Carlo and Impala.

It involves vehicles with a 3.8-liter V6 engine. The government said drops of oil could fall into the exhaust system and cause a fire in the engine.

GM spokesman Kerry Christopher said it was a precautionary measure for consumers.

http://www.newsnet5.com/automotive/19170554/detail.html

[MADem]

1. V6....."give the pig a drink" vehicles.

Phew. My vehicle is older than those, but it's very fuel efficient.

[fujiyama]

6. A 3..8L seems really ineffecient

I don't understand why it's that big and I don't understand why it took this long to find this problem.

I'm glad my Saturn's not on there. Phew.

[CRF450]

16. Um those 3.8 v6 motors were actually efficient and bullet proof engines

And the vehicles they're in, easily get 30mpg HWY, what did the other cars with v6 engines get? Not any better!!

[Mopar151]

26. We had an '01 Malibu

Not so bulletproof - somewhat prone to a noisy piston or 2 and headgasket issues - but far above an original POS like the 2.5 "Iron Duke". And a really good runner - excellent power, very smooth, decent mileage - mid-20's with Michelle driving - she's my sweetie:* , but she got a right foot like Junior!

[CRF450]

29. But that Malibu didn't have the 3.8 v6.

My general knowledge on them comes mainly from camaro/firebird owners I associate with alot. Even though those cars were built like crap, the 38000 v6 in them and other cars were top notch power plants. GM never really built a car with quality to brag about till the last few years, but a big number of their engines have been flat out great performers. Take for example their LSx line up of v8's, decently efficient, but packing alot of power!

[old mark]

46. Possibly the best V6 they ever made....till the fire starts.

Perfect timing, GM - nobody will buy one of your cars now.....


mark

[DainBramaged]

31. The 3800 is one of the most durable engines ever made, unfortunately

push rods aren't as efficient as overhead cam valve trains, and even though those engines could easily get high 20 MPG in large size GM products, the engine design was over 20 years old when discontinued. Oh, and it's the valve covers that loosened over time, and the problem is NO WORSE than those from other manufacturers. It's just that people who REFUSE to maintain their cars and occasionally have the valve covers re-torqued experienced the problem.

[Mopar151]

42. Ok, you are talking about an older engine

Are you talking about the 229 Chevy or the 231 Buick? My bad - basically, tin covers tend to leak anyway. Retorquing will make them leak WORSE over time, and will require them to be straightened when gaskets are finally replaced. if the bolts are backing off, self-locking fasteners are necessary.

Exhaust manifolds too close to the valve cover rail are a big problem, too - old 440 Mopahs will toast the gaskets until they crack, then leak onto the hot spot Noice!

[madrchsod]

2. i think most of the cars i`ve owned could be recalled..

my old 92 honda accord dripped oil on the exhaust system for over 100,000 miles...smelled bad but never caught on fire.

[ProgrezivIndie]

4. "my old 92 honda accord dripped oil on the exhaust system"

ya know... this *GM* recall may have nothing to do with potential fire hazard (hint: it may be that GM has an upgrade to be installed in the PCM... giving it "passive listening" capability, without telling the owners THAT is what's really being done -- and we'll know THAT is really the case, when the gov't agrees to give GM all the BAILOUT MONIES it can handle... thus keeping it out of bankruptcy).

ok, ok... just because I'm paranoid that does not mean people aren't out to get me! :tinfoilhat:

[Trekologer]

3. That's a defect?

I thought it was a feature of the GM 3800 V6.

[greguganus]

5. I thought it was a built in "mark your parking space" feature.n/t

[bushmeister0]

7. That would never be a problem with the venerable Nova.

My 1974 coupe with a straight-6 was a great car.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Whoops.

[Occam Bandage]

9. That'll help their image. nt

[pimpbot]

10. Wheres all the union yes men now?

Exclaiming how well built their cars are?

[TahitiNut]

11. Are you aware that UAW members merely build the engines? They DON'T design them.

But don't let that get in the way of class bigotry. :eyes:

[Carni]

47. You are very correct

If anyone wants to know why GM is in the toilet look to engineering not manufacturing!

[d_r]

12. you know

there has never been a recall on japanese cars

[TorchTheWitch]

14. Yes there has

I know Honda has.

[OhioChick]

15. Same with Nissan. n/t

[tammywammy]

17. Lexus had a huge recall a few months a go. n/t

[RB TexLa]

19. All car lines have recalls

[xchrom]

20. link on that 'fact', please. nt

[HughMoran]

21. Don't try to be facetious

DUers don't get it.

[ChromeFoundry]

27. Yeah, never just one....

http://www.motortrend.com/used_cars/recalls/index.html

[OhioChick]

39. ........

:rofl:

[Kalyke]

37. I think you're missing the sarcasm tag.

Toyota is the No. 1 most recalled car in America.

:hi:

[xchrom]

22. same place they always were --

handing your ridiculous propaganda right back to you.

[HughMoran]

24. Anti-union is anti-American IMO

Fuck off ass hole.

[Norquist Nemesis]

30. Big difference between engineering design and factory assembly

dufus.

[DainBramaged]

32. Right here pal, got any questions or are you just being a dick?

[Paulie]

13. Intrigue had a 3.5L not the genII 3800

The LX5 3.5L "Shortstar" used in Intrigue and Aurora was based off the Aurora v8, which itself was based on the Caddy Northstar.

Olds was my favorite, still not over it's departure. Could have been GM's high tech company.....

[RB TexLa]

18. Why wouldn't they wait until after the bankruptcy to do this, they might get out of paying for the

repairs.

[pinniped]

23. If they wait 10 more years to issue a recall, GM won't have to worry about paying either.

I haven't seen a Lumina in quite some time, but I did see an Intrigue a couple weeks ago.

[Mopar151]

25. Small beer by GM standards

Unlike the keyboard cowboys, I was a "Mr. Goodwrench" (certified GM technican) during the introduction of the X-car (Citation). some inital build cars had Fourteen (14) recalls before they were sold!
Sone were small potatoes, but one involved the power steering hose spraying hot PS fluid onto the exhaust manifold - that ain't no oil drip, it's a blazing fire before you can get the car stopped!

And, yes, Toyotas get recalled - a whole run of Tacoma's are being bought back and crushed for defective frames. and those Subarus so beloved of the anti-car folk - There were a slew recalled backalong ( early 90's?) for a collapse of the rear suspension, requiring replacement of the entire rear crossmember.

[KillCapitalism]

28. I'm shocked I tell ya.

Build/design complete turds & this is what you get.

I realize EVERY carmaker out there has had recalls at one time or another, but GM tends to have more than it's fair share.

I had a GM once that fell victim to this:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/gm_dexcool.html

As someone above said, the UAW workers are not to blame since they don't design these pieces of shit.

[DainBramaged]

33. Bullshit, GM has less than Toyota do your research instead of throwing shit.

GM ever recall an entire series of engines for sludge buildup after countless hidden recalls and lawsuits?


http://www.motortrend.com/used_cars/01/toyota/recalls/index.html


http://yotarepair.com/Sludge_Zone.html

Camry 4 cyl. Produced 8/96 - 7/01

Camry 6 cyl. Produced 8/96 - 8/02

Solara 4 cyl. Produced 6/98 - 5/01

Solara 6 cyl. Produced 6/98 - 8/02

Sienna 6 cyl. Produced 7/97 - 6/02

Avalon 6 cyl. Produced 7/96 - 6/02

Celica 4 cyl. Produced 8/96 - 4/99

Highlander 6 cyl. Produced 11/00 - 8/02

Automotive News / April 03, 2002


Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. on Wednesday said it will cover customers' costs associated with engine sludge problems in some Toyota and Lexus vehicles for eight years from the date of first sale or lease.


The new policy is a sharp departure from the action Toyota took in February, when it told owners it would pay repair costs for sludge damage for one year in cases where customers could provide proof of "reasonable efforts" to maintain their vehicles.


The auto maker insists the problem is caused by poor vehicle maintenance.


Sludge buildup in engines is the result of engine oil oxidizing and turning into a gel-like substance. The buildup could prompt vehicle owners to replace their engines.


The customer satisfaction program announced Wednesday calls for Toyota to pay for repair costs and expenses such as car rental and other out-of-pocket expenses that customers have paid or could incur as a result of damage from the engine sludge problem.


The program is for 3.3 million 1997 through 2002 Toyota and Lexus vehicles with 3.0-liter, V-6, or 2.2-liter four-cylinder engines. There is no mileage limitation.


Vehicles with those engines include the Camry sedan and RX300 sport-utility vehicle.

[KillCapitalism]

34. .

I said every company has had recall issues, none of them are perfect. The Dexcool issue with GM was equally as bad as Toyota's oil sludge issue.

Also, GM produced (and continued to produce) a few models that were so woefully unreliable that it pretty much permanently tarnished their image. The 1995-2005 Chevy Blazer/GMC Jimmy & 1997-2001 Cadillac Catera were some of the most troublesome vehicles to ever roll off any assembly line.

[DainBramaged]

36. I had THREE Blazers from 1997-2004 (1997, 1998, 2000)

SO from personal experience, bullshit. I didn't have to start doing ANYTHING but maintenance up till 100,000 miles until I sold them. Give me a fucking break. And I SOLD the 1998 last year with 226,000 miles on it and NOT ONE MAJOR REPAIR IN IT'S LIFESPAN.

[KillCapitalism]

40. You got lucky.

There were two in our family. One was a 2000 owned by my sister. It made 21 trips to the dealer under warranty for various problems & she ended up receiving compensation under lemon laws.

Other Blazer was a 2001 owned by my cousin. It actually ran well until around the time the vehicle hit the 65,000 mile mark where he experienced a failed ABS control module that was big bucks to repair, later on an emissions control module of some sort, a water pump & radiator due to the Dexcool issue, and finally the tranny began slipping at around 80,000 miles. He was told it would need a complete rebuild, but he was sick of sinking money into it & sold it.

Both vehicles were maintained per instructions of the service manual schedules and were not abused.

[DainBramaged]

41. I didn't get lucky. And since they weren't YOUR cars, YOU can't SPEAK FROM personal EXPERIENCE.

we're done. I refuse to talk to those of you who think the Goddamn Japanese make perfect cars.

[ChromeFoundry]

43. Isn't your problem with Dex-cool?

That patient is held by Havoline, a Chevron Company... Not GM.

I didn't see you mention that Kia was shipping cars in the '90s, where a single steel cable in the seat belts caused many severed limbs and heads. I think I would take a blown head-gasket over a lost head any day!

[HughMoran]

35. No point in arguing with the anti-American car types

It's a mindset with these folks and they don't wanna hear otherwise.

[ProfessorGAC]

38. What Hugh Said

Pointless to even discuss with those folks. They've got their minds made up, and facts don't matter.
GAC

[Carni]

48. Oh please... yes, they've done as bad or worse

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949735,00.html

No part of the car has been more dangerously problem-prone than the rear brakes, and last week the Government took extraordinary steps to force GM to fix them. The Justice Department filed a $4 million lawsuit demanding that the company recall all 1.1 million X-cars made in 1980, the first model year. Moreover, the department accused GM of endangering its customers by covering up the car's defects. The suit charges that GM failed to notify properly either the Government or car owners about the problems and that the company lied when asked about them.

The dispute over X-car brakes began in November 1979, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation after complaints that when the brakes were applied even moderately, the rear wheels tended to lock and throw the car into a skid. After much prodding, GM announced a recall of 47,371 X-cars some 20 months later. But it did not repair the brake defect successfully. Last January N.H.T.S.A. declared that about 320,000 of the cars were unsafe. In February 1983, GM ordered a second recall of 240,000 cars. N.H.T.S.A. still considered the action inadequate. The Government charges that the brake defect has caused 71 injuries and 15 deaths.

In its suit, the Justice Department contends that GM knew about the brake problem in 1978, when the car was in the prototype stage, and that although GM changed the brakes in subsequent models, it made no attempt to warn owners during the 1980 model year. In addition, the suit charges that GM gave "false and misleading responses in at least 18 instances" after N.H.T.S.A. began its Investigation. Examples: GM said it received fewer complaints than it actually had, falsely claimed that it made no written analysis of the problem and denied that it had changed the brake design in the 1981 model year.

[Mopar151]

44. GM beta tests on their first-year customers.

Time and time again - Corvair, Tempest, Vega, Monza, Citation.... Every 1, the first cars were AWFUL.

[Carni]

45. Well at least they recalled them...typically they don't

I guess the lawsuits must have been to the point where it's cheaper to do the recall now--that is typical of the way GM operates.