This is exactly the opposite of what Buick's Stabilitrak is designed to do.
A computer software programming error for an electronic stability control system (ESC) from supplier TRW is resulting in General Motors recalling 2012 model Buick LaCrosse sedans made in June and July of this year.
In a filing with the national Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM said that the Stabilitrak system has an incorrect calibration that “may cause the system to not properly detect if a sensor were to malfunction, and the warning light indicating that the system is not operating would not illuminate,” as required in by a NHTSA safety standard.
This seemingly benign electronic programming glitch can have severe consequences because it can result in the ESC activating at high speeds without warning resulting in “sudden changes in vehicle handling and deceleration, particularly at higher speeds, which may cause the driver difficulty in maintaining the vehicle’s desired path of travel and desired vehicle speed, and could result in a crash without warning.”
This is exactly the opposite of what Stabilitrak is designed to do.
GM dealers will reprogram the electronic brake control module free of charge as is required by NHTSA safety regulations. Owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080 about GM safety recall number 11222. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
