General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2012 Chevrolet Colorado and 2010-2012 GMC Canyon vehicles because the secondary hood latch may have not been installed. Continue reading
Category Archives: General Motors
Lemon Alert For Cadillac XTS Head Restraints
General Motors (GM) have announced a recall for approximately twelve thousand 2013 Cadillac XTS vehicles because the rear seat headrests may not meet the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Continue reading
Automobile Efficiency Turns To Low Roll Resistance Tires
Over the years automobile manufacturers have been put to the test to design vehicles that will meet rising Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and consumer demand brought on by high fuel prices. In their quest they have turned to develop and test low roll resistance tires. While these tires are used most frequently on hybrid cars, low rolling resistance tires are now starting to show up on more mainstream vehicles as well. Continue reading
Lemon Airbags Leave Chevy And Buick Drivers Unprotected
General Motors (GM) will be contacting owners of certain Chevrolet and Buick cars to bring in their vehicles for a problem with the drivers side air bag coil. The problem is being blamed on a shorting bar in the system which could Continue reading
Chevy Volt Software Glitch Stalls Engines
General Motors (GM) has announced a customer satisfaction campaign affecting approximately four thousand 2013 Chevrolet Volt electric cars. A software glitch in the delayed charging function could cause the vehicle to unexpectedly stall. Drivers will still have steering and brakes, but in order to restart the engine, they must stop the vehicle, turn it off, and wait five minutes before restarting.
According to GM spokeswoman, Michelle Malcho, the glitch only affects the small number of owners that have used the delayed charging option. All drivers are recommended to switch to immediate instead of delayed time charging until the problem can be fixed. GM has already sent letters by Federal Express explaining to customers that the repair requires the vehicle’s control system software to be re-flashed. The repair is expected to take less than an hour.
Chevy Sonic Turn Signal Malfunction
General Motors (GM) is warning customer’s of certain 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles about a problem that could leave drivers unaware that their turn signals are not functioning. When a turn signal lamp fails to operate, the Body Control Module (BCM) is suppose to detect the condition and warn the driver of the problem. A programing error in the BCM system may fail to warn the driver and if the problem goes unfixed, other drivers will not know that the vehicle is turning. This could increase the risk of an accident. Owners wanting more information can contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
GM Fuel Leak Problem
GM has announced that they will be recalling over 40,000 vehicles sold in warm weather states because these vehicles have plastic parts connected to the fuel pump which could crack and leak. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
GM says there have been no reports of fires or injuries related to the defect. The company began investigating the issue in 2011 after a dealer reported fuel leaks from some vehicles. Warranty data indicates that the problem is more common in vehicles registered in warm weather states. The vehicles affected by this problem include:
- 2007 Chevrolet Equinox in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas
- 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, and Texas
- 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt in Arizona
- 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas
- 2007 Pontiac Torrent in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas
- 2007 Pontiac G5 in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, and Texas
- 2008 Pontiac G5 in Arizona
- 2009 Pontiac G5 in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas
- 2007 Saturn ION in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, and Texas
Owners wanting more information about the problem can contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
GM Ford Alliance To Improve Fuel Economy
A manufacturing alliance between General Motors (GM) and Ford, expected to be unveiled next month, will have the two rival companies developing automatic transmissions designed to improve fuel economy. The alliance could save the companies billions of dollars as they work towards meeting demanding federal fuel economy regulations set for 2017.
GM and Ford have already successfully worked together building six speed automatic front wheel drive transmissions in 2002, introduced in 2006 in approximately thirty different models. Both companies are currently developing 8, 9, and 10 speed transmissions for front and rear wheel drive cars and light trucks and they hope that the agreement will not only speed up technological developments, but will allow them to reduce manufacturing costs.
Packing more gears into the compact transmission housings used in smaller vehicles is an increasingly tricky challenge, according to engineers. Automatic transmissions with more gear ratios and more sophisticated electronic controls are crucial to improving fuel economy but the limited space of compact and subcompact cars makes it difficult. The lack of space is one reason that subcompacts like the Ford Fiesta and Chevrolet Sonic do not achieve higher fuel efficiency than the larger Ford Focus and Chevy Cruze. Longer vehicles also have lower aerodynamic drag, which helps overall efficiency.
Developing transmissions in house will not only allow GM and Ford to tailor the components to suit their needs, but will eliminate royalty costs for licenses and intellectual property rights charged by their current gearbox suppliers. The new transmissions are expected to reach the market by 2015.
