Tag Archives: General Motors

GM And Isuzu SUV Potential Door Fires

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General Motors (GM) and Isuzu will be alerting drivers of certain 2006-2007 sport utility vehicles (SUV) of a problem that could result in a fire starting inside the driver’s side door. The problem is being blamed on contaminants getting into the door and causing corrosion and a short circuit in the power door lock and power window switches. Drivers noticing a burning odor or the power door locks and power windows functioning intermittently or stop working completely, are asked to take their vehicles to the nearest dealership immediately. The problem affects certain GM and Isuzu vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The vehicles included in the recall are:

For more information about the problem:

  • Buick owners may contact the Buick owner center at 1-800-521-7300
  • Chevrolet owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546
  • GMC owners may contact the GMC owner center at 1-866-996-9463
  • Isuzu cowners may contact the Isuzu owner center at 1-800-255-6727
  • SAAB owners may contact the SAAB owner center at 1-855-880-0808

Saab Sues GM For Blocking Chinese Investors

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Luxury sports car maker, Spyker, has filed a lawsuit against General Motors accusing them of deliberately bankrupting Saab by blocking deals with foreign investors. When Spyker bought Saab from GM in 2010, the agreement allowed GM to retain the rights to technology and patents used in the engineering of Saab vehicles. As Saab struggled to avoid a court action to liquidate the company, Chinese automakers, Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile and Pang Da Automobile Trade came forward with $140 million dollars to invest in the company with an expected additional investment of up to $708 million to build Saab vehicles in Sweden’s Trollhattan plant as well as open a factory in China. According to Spyker, the deal was blocked by GM executives because they did not want Chinese investors to have access to GM technology, allowing them to compete against the U.S. auto maker in China, one of its most important foreign markets. Spyker Chief Executive Victor Muller accused GM of “deliberately pushing Saab over the cliff”. Spyker is seeking $3 billion in damages, the estimated future value of Saab if Zhejiang Youngman had been allowed to buy the Swedish auto maker and invest in it.

The lawsuit comes as GM struggles to survive in Europe. The auto maker said last week that its second-quarter earnings plunged 38% due to a $361 million loss in the company’s European operations.

Chevrolet Offers New Car Refund

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General Motors (GM) new marketing plan aimed at clearing out remaining inventory of Chevrolet vehicles, will allow customers to return their vehicle for a refund if they are not satisfied with their purchase. Chevrolet’s “Love It or Return It” offer will allow customers of any new 2012 and 2013 model year vehicles, to a full refund as long as there is fewer than 4,000 miles and the customer has driven the vehicle for at least 30 days.

Buyers who choose to return their vehicle will get all their money back, including sales tax. Unfortunately, expenses such as any additional taxes, licensing, registration and extras such as extended warranties will still have to be paid by the customer. GM hopes the plan will encourage customers to give Chevrolet vehicles a try, winning back some of the market share lost to import oriented markets. The promotion will be offered until Sept. 4, 2012.

Chevy Captiva Park Brake Could Disengage

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General Motors (GM) have announced a recall for certain 2012 Chevrolet Captiva sport passenger vehicles because they may fail to conform to the park brake performance requirements of the federal motor vehicle safety standards. According to the recall report, the park brake cable may not be fully seated and could separate from its connector. The park brake could become inoperative and the vehicle could roll away unexpectedly. Dealers will inspect and secured the cable as necessary. Owners wanting more information on the problem can contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.

BMW And Toyota Share New Technologies

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German automobile manufacturer BMW and Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota have announced that they will be expanding a 2011 agreement between the two companies to share strategic technologies in four different areas. BMW and Toyota emphasized that they have no intentions of building stakes in each others companies. Both say they share the same strategic vision of sustainable individual future mobility and feel their alliance will only strengthen both companies competitive position in sustainable future technologies. The agreement includes:

  • The joint development of a fuel cell system.
  • The joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle.
  • Collaboration on power train electrification.
  • Joint research and development on lightweight technologies.

The agreement will also end any further discussions of BMW working with General Motors and will eventually dissolve a joint venture with France’s PSA Peugeot Citroen to share components for hybrid cars.

Chevrolet Cruze Fire Risk

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General Motors (GM) has announced two recalls for certain 2011-2012 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles, both of which could result in fire, possibly causing injury or death to the vehicle occupants.

  • The first defect involves fuel tank strap attachment welds which may have been omitted during manufacturing. In an accident the tank could come loose resulting in a fuel spill that could ignite in the presence of an ignition source. GM will inspect the vehicles for missing welds and will secure the tank bracket attachment with fasteners as necessary.
  • The second problem involves the engine shield belly pan. Spilled or dripping oil could accumulate in the shield, and the hot engine or exhaust system surfaces could cause it to ignite. Dealers will modify the shield to prevent the fluid build up and will apply a protective tape to the electronic power steering wire harness to vehicles with manual transmissions.

Owners wanting more information about the problems can contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.

Defective Window Switch Investigation Expands

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expanding an investigation into defective power window switches in some Toyota and GM vehicles. Both investigation began in February after vehicle owners reported intermittent power windows, the smell of smoke, and in rare occasions fires. If the investigation leads to a recall, approximately 1.4 million Toyota and 342,000 GM vehicles could be involved. The vehicles under investigation includes:

  • 2007-2009 Toyota Camry
  • 2007-2009 Toyota Yaris
  • 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUVs
  • 2006-2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SUVs

The NHTSA said that it also will evaluate other GM vehicles with the same underpinnings. They include:

  • Buick Rainier
  • GMC Envoy
  • Isuzu Ascender
  • Saab 9-7X SUVs

GM Cuts Its Advertising Spending

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Last week GM announced that they will no longer be paying to advertise on Facebook, except for the pages that cost nothing to create. GM said that with the continuing rise of advertising costs, they question the effectiveness of certain media and are restructuring where the money is spent in order be more effective. Price concerns are not only confined to GM, with many large companies saying it is hard to know where is the best place to put their advertising money. The announcement came days before the highly anticipated Facebook stocks were to be publicly offered. The uncertainty in Facebook advertising has dampened enthusiasm for the stock as the shares for the social networking company tumble.

This week GM continues to cut its spending as they announce that they will not advertise in the next Super Bowl. According to GM’s global marketing chief, the Super Bowl advertising is effective but has become too expensive to justify the cost. Part of the GM advertising overhaul will include an emphasis on markets outside of the U.S., where GM hopes to expand into up-and-coming markets. Last year, GM spent almost $5 billion on ads.