GM Recalls 1.3 Million Chevrolet & Pontiacs for Faulty Power Steering Assist

General Motors (GM) is voluntarily recalling 1.3 million compact cars, due to a power steering assist problem. The safety recall, which GM announced Monday, will replace a motor in the power steering system. Vehicles being recalled are the 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt; 2007-2010 Pontiac G5; 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit (sold in Canada); and the 2005-2006 Pontiac G4 (sold in Mexico).

Investigation Behind the Newest GM Recall

According to GM, on January 27 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a United States investigation on 905,000 Cobalts. This was after 1,000 complaints were lodged on the loss of power steering assist. Fourteen crashes and one injury were also part of the investigation.

GM had launched an investigation into the complaints last year and discovered the power steering problem occurs over time. GM's Vice President of Quality, Jamie Hresko, stated in a press release that, "It tends to occur in older models out of warranty. Recalling these vehicles is the right thing to do for our customers' peace of mind."

The vehicle manufacturer informed the NHTSA of the voluntary safety recall Monday.

Are the Recalled Vehicles Safe to Drive?

The power steering assist, the subject of GM's recall, essentially helps distribute the energy needed to steer, lessening the effort required by the driver. Part of the vehicle's power is channeled to the axis of one or more wheels. Power steering is a standard feature in most cars.

GM maintains that the recalled compacts are still safe to drive. Hresko states that the loss of power steering assist will make the vehicle harder to steer under 15 mph. He said, "it is important to note that the vehicle can still be safely controlled because the customer can still steer the vehicle."

GM assures customers that a chime will sound if the power steering assist does fail in their recalled models. The 'Power Steering' message will also light up.

A plan to fix the recalled vehicles has yet to be finalized. GM has said that they will notify customers when a recall strategy is ready to put into action.

GM's News Comes on Top of Toyota Recall

GM's voluntary recall of certain Chevrolet and Pontiac models comes after the recent massive recall of eight million vehicles by Toyota. Toyota Motor Corp's recall is also centered on safety issues. Among these are unintentional acceleration problems, mainly attributed to sticky accelerator pads and faulty floor mats.

Sources:

http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/news/news_detail.print.GMCOM.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2010/Mar/0302_recall

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703807904575097134094293008.html?mod=googlenews_wsj