GM recalling 243,000 Crossovers due to seat belt latch issue.
The New York Times (8/18, B7, Bunkley) reports GM announce it will recall “243,000 large crossover vehicles to check for a problem that could prevent their rear seat belts from latching safely. The recall covers the 2009 and 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. All but a few thousand were sold in the United States.” GM said “dealers would inspect the seat belts ‘for damage that in rare cases could make an occupant think the belt is properly latched when it isn’t.’ The damage can occur in the second row of the three-row vehicles as the seat is returned to an upright position after being folded flat.” Jeff Boyer, G.M.’s executive director of safety, added, “Because of the potential for a false-latch condition, we want customers to return their vehicles to have the recall repair performed as soon as possible.” The AP (8/17, Thomas) also covered the story.
Mazda recalls vehicles with potential power steering fault.
The Chicago Tribune (8/18) reports that Mazda “is recalling 215,000 Mazda3 and Mazda5 vehicles to fix problems with the power-steering system that could lead to a crash,” saying that the “vehicles could have a sudden loss of power-steering assist, making it more difficult for the driver to steer the vehicle. The automaker says that could increase the risk of a crash.”
The New York Times (8/18, Jensen) adds that NHTSA “says the problem is a loss of power assist which reduces ‘the driver’s ability to steer the vehicle as typically expected.’ The recall comes about a year after Mazda started fixing vehicles in Japan for the same problem. In a report to the safety agency filed on Monday, Mazda says it began investigating the problem two years ago. The automaker says by July 2009 it knew the problem was that rust was forming inside the high-pressure pipe on the power steering system, and particles were entering the motorized power steering pump, causing it to shut down to prevent the pump from overheating.”
Source: American Association for Justice
