DETROIT — General Motors is recalling 1.3 million compact cars, including the 2005-'10 Chevrolet Cobalt, the 2007-'10 Pontiac G5, the 2005-'06 Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada and the 2005-'06 Pontiac G4 sold in Mexico, to replace a motor in the power steering system.
The recall announcement comes right after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered an investigation into about 905,000 Cobalt models in the U.S. after getting more than 1,100 complaints of loss of power steering assist, 14 crashes and one injury. GM's big recall also comes at a time when the spotlight has been trained on Toyota and its massive recalls and on a day when the Japanese automaker is due back before a U.S. Senate committee to explain the flaws in its vehicles.
GM did not spell out what the remedy is for the power steering problem in its compact cars, nor did it disclose a timetable for repairs. It also did not provide any contact information for concerned customers.
It noted in a statement that "while greater steering effort under 15 mph may be required, if the customer experiences loss of power steering assist, it is important to note that the vehicle can still be safely controlled because the customer can still steer the vehicle."
"After our in-depth investigation, we found that this is a condition that takes time to develop," said Jamie Hresko, GM vice president of quality.
Inside Line says: If you own one of the aforementioned vehicles, you may want to contact your dealer to find out when repairs will begin. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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joejoe20 says:
01:17 AM, 03/14/2010
hahaha I love this.. watch how you will not see this on the news. I love it how Toyota is trying to compete with the US government.. sorry.. although you make outstanding vehicles you can't win in an unfair field..
tbone85 says:
08:47 PM, 03/02/2010
Atenza, in general your comments indicate you are a Toyota fanboy tool. There are some Toyota's that are better than the GM models that they compete with, and there are some GM models that are better than their Toyota counter parts. Toyota, despite its recent problems, makes some good cars. However, if you believe that the every car in the Toyota lineup is the best in its class, then I feel sorry for you. I know it's made you angry that your belief that Toyota is perfect has been disturbed, but such is life.
atenza94546 says:
07:20 PM, 03/02/2010
Oh, Please GM will offer a lot more incentive if you trade in your better Toyota and take the GM piece of Shhht.
And NHTSA will be force to being the A-game all the players on the recall plate.
ed124c says:
02:15 PM, 03/02/2010
@guy1974:
If you look to the right of the article above you will see 3 GM recalls shown over the past 12 months. If you add in the current recall, the total vehicles involved is 4,275,000-- about half as many as Toyota's. I believe this is not typical for Toyota, and they will clean up their act, but I also believe that the almost more than 4 million for GM in a one year period is probably GM business as usual.
I would not buy a GM car simply because Toyota is having problems. Remember, the Malibu is probably a better car than the Camry, but potential buyers are not going to make it a best seller until GM quality proves high over a number of years. It is basically the same story as Hyundai's.
guy1974 says:
01:12 PM, 03/02/2010
ed124c - well you would be wrong. 8.4 million recalled vs 1.2 million. Also with the Toyotas the problems have been steering, brakes and accelerator. Any of which can be fatal. For GM it is one car (and rebadged versions) and the steering is a little heavier. Not quite the same as careering of at 120mph because the accelerator is stuck or not stopping because your brakes don`t work.
ed124c says:
09:34 AM, 03/02/2010
Sorry about the multiple posting. The black box with the x in it flummoxed me. I guess you are just supposed to ignore it.
ed124c says:
09:32 AM, 03/02/2010
This is an unfortunate development for GM, which is trying to tout its new-found vehicle reliability at the same time that Toyota is waning in that area.
This will, at the least, muddy the waters. Consumers may decide that "hey, they all have problems" and continue to go with the companies that have had a long-term record of rellability. Such as Toyota, Honda, etc. I know I would.
ed124c says:
09:27 AM, 03/02/2010
This is an unfortunate development for GM, which has been trying to promote its new-found vehicle relaibility, at the same time that Toyota is waning in that category.
This will, at the least, muddy the waters. Comsumers might decide that "hey, they all have problems" and buy cars from manufacturers with long-term reliability records. I know I would.
icecubefosho says:
08:14 AM, 03/02/2010
NHTSA finally bringing their A-Game?