GM Joins Recall Parade; Cash for Clunkers Irony Surfaces

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2753585/gm_joins_recall_parade_cash_for_clunkers_pg2.html?cat=27


General Motors joined the parade of auto manufacturers issuing safety recall notice Tuesday. The GM recall encompasses 1.3 million cars from the 2004-2010 model years which may have defective power steering. GM says

 the cars are safe to drive without power steering but harder to handle when turning at speeds less than 15 mph. 

The GM models being recalled include 2005-2010 Chevy Cobalts, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5s, 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuits, and 2004-2005 Pontiac G4s.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration received 1,100 complaints concerning Cobalts losing power steering. One injury in 14 crashes resulted from the power steering loss, according to the complaints.

Toyota has been under intense Congressional scrutiny in connection with its own auto recalls, particularly its recall of 5.6 million vehicles for accelerator defects. Unintended acceleration has been blamed for a spate of deaths and crashes involving popular Toyota vehicle models, and the company has been criticized for not acting on the complaints swiftly or effectively. Toyota initially recalled floor mats on the premise that the mats were getting stuck under the accelerator pedals. Later it issued a recall notice on the pedals themselves while acknowledging uncertainty about the efficacy of its proposed fix. Tuesday marks the third day of testimony before Congress for Toyota officials being called to account for their response to the accelerator problems.

Other major auto recalls in the United States in 2010, according to Reuters, include a Honda recall of 646,000 Fit Jazz and Celebrity models for automatic window switch defects and a Honda recall of 438,000 vehicles for airbag defects; recalls overseas involved the Nissan, Suzuki, Peugeot and Daihatsu brands in addition to Toyota.


Last summer, a Federal incentive program known as "Cash for Clunkers" encouraged drivers to trade in older model, less fuel efficient cars for new models. Some of those models, rushed to dealer lots to accommodate

 consumer demand, are the very same models now being recalled. While the design defects presumably preceded the existence of the hastily crafted Cash for Clunkers legislation that fomented the production rush, the irony is poignant. Many consumers who traded in clunkers barely drove their new, improved autos off the lot before the safety defects that ultimately led to the recalls began surfacing.

Among the top selling models under Cash for Clunkers,Consumer Reports identified now-recalled Toyota models, including Prius, Corolla, Camry, while US News and World Report identified the GM Chevy Cobalt as the number 10 best selling clunker replacement.