Sunday, June 13, 2010

GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles because of flaming windshield wiper heater

A GM recall of 1.5 million automobiles worldwide was announced Tuesday. The GM recall issue that is being questioned a defect in a heated windshield wiper fluid system that has caught fire in a few cases. General Motors Co. is recalling many of the automobiles for the exact exact same problem. Technicians at GM dealers will disable the system, that was made by a vendor who has given that gone bankrupt. Car owners will receive $100 as compensation for the loss of the feature.

Article Source: GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles – Flaming windshield wiper heater By Personal Money Store

GM's recall list

The GM recall list includes pickup trucks, crossovers and passenger car models from 2006 to 2009. The Associated Press reports that a 2008 GM recall of more than 900,000 vehicles addressed the same problem. There is a short circuit that could overheat the ground wire. Reports had surfaced of fires in automobiles that had been fixed. GM said there is no report of injuries or crashes by there were five fires. Nearly 1.4 million autos in the GM recall are within the U.S. and more than 100,000 autos are in Canada, Mexico and other international markets.

The GM 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. According to CNNMoney.com, the problem in the current GM recall is not related to the one involved in the first recall. In the five autos that caught fire, an analysis showed that evidently the fire, which led to the malfunctioning of other electrical components, is not being stopped by the fuse.

Windshield wiper heater disabled

Following the first GM recall of the wiper fluid heater, GM said they tried to keep track of the HotShot system made by Micro-Heat. It was reported by the Detroit Free Press that GM withheld payments from Micro-Heat after the first recall to cover its costs, and the business 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 may have to remove the fluid heater and reroute some hoses.

Trying to rebound from the GM bailout

GM had posted a first quarter profit — the first time it had been within the black since 2007. In 2009 the GM bailout of more than $50 billion prevented a GM bankruptcy after the company posted losses that were around $6 billion. GM repaid a portion of the bailout quite recently and radical restructuring has put the business back on the road to profitability. U.S. auto sales for GM brands were up 17 percent compared to what they were at 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.

All of the brands on recall list

GM will start sending letters to owners later this month. People who own the GM brands on the recall list below can contact their dealer to have the heated washer system removed.

Buick Enclave, 2008-2009
The brand Buick Lucerne, 2006-2009
Cadillac CTS, 2008-2009.
Cadillac DTS, 2006-2009
The brand Cadillac Escalade, 2007-2009
The brand Cadillac Escalade DSV, 2007-2009
Cadillac Escalade EXT 2007-2009
Chevrolet Avalanche, 2007-2009
The brand Chevrolet Silverado 3500 2007-2009
The Chevrolet Suburban, 2007-2009
The brand Chevrolet Tahoe, 2007-2009
The brand Chevrolet Traverse, 2009
GMC Acadia, 2007-2009
GMC Sierra, 2007-2009
The brand GMC Yukon, 2007-2009
The GMC Yukon XL, 2007-2009
Hummer H2, 2006-2009
The Saturn Outlook, 2007-2009

Find more info on this topic

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



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