General Motors' recall saga continues with the beleaguered automaker recalling another 2.42 million vehicles for four separate issues. The move also means GM will take a $400-million charge against second-quarter earnings.
None of the four recalls is related to GM's faulty ignition switches. That issue, which has been linked to at least 13 deaths and recalls of 2.6 million vehicles, has prompted federal fines and several investigations into why GM neglected to issue the recalls for more than a decade.
Tuesday's recalls bring the total number of GM recalls in 2014 to 13.7 million vehicles.
The most serious issue involved 1,402 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESVs from the 2015 model year. The hulking luxury SUVs have front passenger airbags that were not properly attached to the instrument panel. As a result, they may only partially deploy in a crash.
Demonstrating the gravity of the problem, GM sent letters, emailed, and called all 224 owners of the vehicles and warned them not to drive with people sit in the front passenger seat until the vehicles can be fixed. No accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of this issue, GM said.
The automaker also issued a recall and stop-sale notice on 1,339,355 of its new and used full-size crossover SUVs from the 2009-2014 model years. These include the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. The Saturn Outlook from 2000-2010 is also included.
These vehicles have a cable in the front seat belt that can wear out prematurely and break. If this happens the seat belt may not work as designed, especially in a crash. GM has asked dealers not to sell these vehicles until a fix can be made.
A third recall on Tuesday expands on an earlier recall from April 29. GM is now asking for 1,075,102 of its Chevy Malibu, Malibu Maxx and Pontiac G6 models back. The cars affected are from the 2004-2008 models years.
In these cars, a shift cable in the four-speed automatic transmission can break. If this happens, drivers may not be able to change gears, remove the key from the ignition, or put the car in park. The issue has led to 18 crashes and one injury.
Tuesday's final recall was of 58 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD heavy-duty pickup trucks from 2015. These trucks are at risk for fire, if the clips that attach a fuse block to the trucks come loose and the block moves. GM is not aware of any accidents or injuries as a result of this issue.
The $400-million charge against second-quarter earnings is an increase from $200-million figure GM announced last week. This brings the total cost of GM's recalls alone to $1.7 billion so far in 2014.
This latest round of recalls puts 2014 on track to be the busiest recall year ever. With nearly 23 million vehicles recalled, the auto industry is well on pace to beat the 30.8-million vehicles recalled in 2004.
