Posted on 02/10/2004 8:22:38 PM PST by KneelBeforeZod
DETROIT - General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it will recall about 127,000 Chevrolet Corvettes to correct a problem with the steering column lock - the automaker's third major recall in less than a week.
Since Friday, the world's largest automaker has recalled nearly 2.5 million vehicles, a situation that dims its much-publicized message of improved quality.
The latest recall involves a condition in which some Corvettes can operate when the electronic steering column lock fails to unlock.
Vehicles included in the recall are 1997-2000 models with automatic transmissions in the United States, Canada and Mexico; 1997-2004 models with automatic transmissions in Europe and other export countries; and 1997-2004 models with manual transmissions in North America, Europe and other export countries.
GM is still trying to determine the total number of vehicles affected, but it said the best estimate is about 127,000.
On Monday, GM said it will recall 636,000 mid-size sport utility vehicles from model years 2002 and 2003 to inspect and repair possible faulty windshield wiper equipment, a condition that's caused at least two accidents.
And Friday, GM said it's recalling 1.8 million cars to repair potential problems with the ignition switch that may cause a fire. The automaker said there have been reports of 80 incidents of heat build up, melted components smoldering parts, or fires in the ignition system and steering column. It said no injuries or fatalities had been reported.
It's all added up to a rough few days at GM's product safety department.
"It's highly unusual we do a recall three business days in a row," said spokesman Jim Schell. "It's taxing. I hope it's a rare situation."
GM said owners of the affected Corvettes will be notified in the second quarter of 2004 and instructed to bring their vehicles to Chevrolet dealers. Repairs will be done at no cost to customers.
In some of the cars, the electronic steering column fails to unlock when the driver starts the engine. When that happens, an electronic message is sent to shut off fuel to the engine if the vehicle starts to move. In some cases, the fuel is not inhibited and the driver can move the vehicle even while the steering column is locked.
Until their vehicles are repaired, owners can verify that the column is unlocked by turning the steering wheel a full turn before shifting into gear. If drivers hear a ratcheting noise while turning the wheel or experience column lock after starting the engine, they should contact a dealer to arrange repairs.
Schell said there had been no injuries or crashes related to the recall, but the defect could be the cause of a separate problem that's the subject of an ongoing federal investigation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there have been 25 accidents and 10 injuries when the Corvette's steering column locked without warning while the vehicle was moving. The agency has recorded 344 complaints that the steering column locked without warning while the Corvette was traveling between 5 mph and 65 mph.
GM was aware of problems with the Corvette's steering column as early as 2001, when it recalled 1998-2000 automatic Corvettes sold in the United States and disabled their electronic lock systems.
Electronic lock systems weren't included on automatic Corvettes sold in the United States after the 2000 model year, but they were included on automatic vehicles sold abroad. Schell said he didn't know why GM didn't disable those systems.
Schell added that Corvettes with manual transmission have a different electronic lock system with no lock plate. They will be reprogrammed, he said.
Last May, GM launched a long-term - and unconventional - advertising campaign in which it acknowledges quality blunders to underscore progress it's made in recent years.
In J.D. Power and Associates' 2003 initial quality study, GM fared best among the domestic automakers, recording an average of 134 problems per 100 vehicles - one more than the industry average.
Toyota Motor Corp. repeated as the automaker with the highest overall initial quality, but domestic brands continued to gain ground in the closely watched study. GM, for example, has narrowed the gap between it and the industry leader in the survey by 58 percent in the past four years.
Among consumers, though, rapid-fire recalls only increase the perception that domestic automakers still lag far behind foreign nameplates with reputations for problem-free cars, said Mike Wall, an analyst with the forecasting and research firm CSM Worldwide.
Another reality for GM is they're bigger than everyone else, and when they're faced with the recall of a particular vehicle program, it can involve millions of vehicles.
"GM might say they've improved themselves much above late 1999 and early 2000 - and they're right, they have," Wall said. "But at the same time perception is so much more pertinent than reality when it comes to these vehicles."
In late afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, GM shares were up 1 cent to $49.12.
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I consider my car "American". I drive a 2003 Toyota Corolla that was built in southern California (at a joint Toyota/GM plant) by American workers. Yes, it's still built to Toyota engineering and quality standards, but it's built by Americans. Oh, and I bought it from an American dealer. And it's serviced by American mechanics (it saw some today for an oil change and an alignment). And then there's the astronomical taxes I've paid related to it: sales tax, personal property tax, excise tax... I would say that my car contributes to the American economy than to the Japanese economy.
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