The flagship Cadillac XTS debuted in the U.S. in spring of 2011 with a starting price of $44,995.
A beleaguered General Motors today announced three separate recalls involving U.S. sales of millions of GM vehicles and halting the sale of any in dealer inventory.
GM did not provide a timeline explaining how long it has known about the latest safety defects. U.S. regulations only give an automaker five days after it discovers a safety problem to submit a recall plan to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, something GM did not do in the now notorious ignition switch recall that saw GM first deny a safety defect existed, and then issue a recall as well as an apology, and then expand the recall to cover more cars.
While all of the three separate recalls are serious safety defects, eyebrows will be raised about another failed airbag deployment defect caused by the driver- and passenger-side air bag wiring harness connectors.
Affected are about 1.18 million Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia models from the 2008-2013 model years, Chevrolet Traverse from the 2009-2013 model years, and Saturn Outlook from the 2008-2010 model years.
All of the recalls were said to be the result of an internal GM safety review following multiple ignition switch recalls and apologies from the U.S. largest automaker.
The other recalls cover the Cadillac XTS sedan, and Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans.
In the XTS defect, a brake booster pump can create positive pressure within the wiring harness attached to the pump relay. This pressure can lead to the dislodging of a plug in the brake booster pump relay, allowing corrosive elements to enter the connector and cause a short that could lead to overheating, melting of plastic components and a possible engine compartment fire. GM said it is aware of two engine compartment fires in unsold vehicles at dealerships and two cases of melted components.
The full-size vans – Express and Savana – with gross vehicle weights of 10,000 pounds or less do not comply with a head impact requirement for unrestrained occupants. GM said this would require “a rework of the passenger instrument panel material.” The day before the latest NHTSA safety defect filing made public this AM, GM had decided to recall the heavy duty – the +10,000 pounds for the same problem.
“I asked our team to redouble our efforts on our pending product reviews, bring them forward and resolve them quickly,” said newly minted GM CEO Mary Barra, who along with Mark Reuss held senior management positions when GM worked its way into bankruptcy, will denying an ignition switch problem existed.
See CAS Says GM Ignition Switch Airbag Failure Caused 303 Deaths and Political Grandstanding begins over GM Ignition Switch Fatalities
