GM is recalling more than 190,000 model year 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, SAAB 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender SUVs. GM is warning owners to park the vehicles outside until they are repaired for a defective power window and door lock switch.
NHTSA apparently forced what is now an enlarged recall of almost 500,000 vehicles after being unpersuaded by GM that a previous smaller recall was adequate. In a terse NHTSA filing, GM did not say how many fires occurred or how many accidents, injuries or fatalities are the result of the safety defect.
This is an expansion of a previous recall, NHTSA 12V406 in August of 2012 that only covered 250,000 vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Critics of such regional recalls say they do not address all the unsafe vehicles on the road. Manufacturers, when they can persuade NHTSA, do so to cut costs of repairing all the potentially defective vehicles.
In this safety defect, water may enter the driver’s door module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. The short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or fail. The short may also cause overheating, which melts the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire, increasing the risk of injury. Worse, a fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use.
GM said that owners will now be contacted and dealers will test the driver’s door module. If the module is functioning properly, a protective coating will be applied. If the module is not functioning properly, it will be replaced.
These repairs will be done free of charge as required by U.S. safety regulations. GM will notify Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC owners. Isuzu and Saab will contact their owners. The recall will begin 24 July 2013.
Buick owners can contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463, Isuzu owners at 1-800-255-6727, and SAAB owners at 1-855-880-0808. GM’s campaign number is 12180. This recall is an expansion of recall 12V-406. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov.
