The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has started an investigation into over 850,000 General Motors SUV’s after receiving complaints of inaccurate fuel gauges. Of the 668 complaints received, 58 said that their vehicle ran out of fuel even though the fuel gauge said there was still fuel in the tank. The vehicles involved in this investigation include:
On Tuesday, GM announced that they will be recalling almost a quarter million crossover sport utility vehicles for problems with seat belts. The recall will affect 2009-2010 Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Saudi Arabia.
According to a GM press release, the problem is with the second-row safety belt buckles. When the seats are laid flat and then returned to the upright position the buckle could come in contact with the seat frame and become damaged. Eventually, the buckle may fail to latch and unlatch properly or may appear to latched when it is not.
The auto maker will begin notifying owners of vehicles affected by the GM crossover recall this month. Dealers will inspect the seat belts and replace it if necessary, as well as reshape the side trim to allow the seats to fold without damaging the seat belts. The company said they discovered the problem when they inspected damaged safety belts in warranty return vehicles, but there have been no reports of seat belt failure to date.
In 2008 GM recalled vehicles for an overheating windshield washer heater. A fuse was installed as a rectification, however, new reports of problems with the heater overheating continue to exist. GM will be recalling these vehicles again, and will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. Below is a list of the vehicles recalled:
Owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080, Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-972-8876, GMC at 1-866-996-9463 and Hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
On July 11, 2009 GM emerged from bankruptcy as a new company called General Motors Company. The old GM sold its best assets to the new company which will be primarily owned by the American and Canadian governments which collectively will hold 72.5%. The Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association, a union health care trust, will hold 17.5% with the remaining 10% held by the old GM.
The old GM will remain in bankruptcy and its factories, brands, and other operations will eventually be liquidated. The old GM will now be called Motors Liquidation Company. Shares in the old GM will likely be worthless and it is contemplated that the Treasury Department will eventually make a public offering for the new GM stock sometime in 2010.
The new GM will retain the GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac brands. It will no longer offer the Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer and Saab brands. Nevertheless, GM’s remaining dealers will continue to honor warranties for those vehicles. The new GM is planning on closing approximately 1,100 over 6,000 dealerships and eventually hopes to pare down to 3,600 dealers by the close of 2010. Additionally, GM’s present 47 plants, manufacturing engines, transmissions, and stamping and assembly plants will be reduced to only 34. And the number of employees will likewise be reduced from the present 91,000 at the end of 2008 to only 64,000 by the end of 2009. GM is also expected to reduce American executives by 35%, and overall administrative white-collar employees by 20% by the end of this year.
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