DETROIT (AP) - General Motors and Isuzu are
recalling more than 258,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada to fix
short-circuits in power-window and door-lock switches that can cause
fires.
The recall covers Chevrolet
TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 97-X
SUVs from the 2006 and 2007 model years. The SUVs were sold or
registered in 20 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Canada, where salt
and other chemicals are used to clear roads in the winter.
GM has reports of 28 fires. It doesn't know of any injuries caused by the problem.
Fluid containing the
road-clearing chemicals can get inside the driver's door and cause
corrosion in the power-window and door-switch circuit boards, according
to documents posted on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration website. The corrosion can cause short-circuits, knocking
out the switches and causing fires.
The recall affects SUVs
sold or registered in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Dealers will replace the
power-window switch for free, according to NHTSA documents posted
Saturday. Owners will get letters telling them when to schedule
appointments. GM also will make repairs at no cost to owners living in
states not covered by the recall, spokesman Alan Adler said in an
e-mail.
NHTSA started investigating the SUVs in February after getting a dozen complaints of fires.
In one complaint filed with
NHTSA, from Oct. 29, 2008, a woman reported that the alarm sounded
while her 2006 TrailBlazer was parked in her driveway. When she looked
outside, she saw the SUV in flames. Firefighters put out the blaze and
told her it started in the driver's door.
"The fire burned the entire driver's side of the vehicle, a portion of the front passenger seat and the roof," she wrote.
The TrailBlazer was the
biggest seller among the SUVs, which helped to make the truck-based
sport utility vehicle popular in the U.S. The SUVs were phased out in
2009 and replaced by more efficient car-based crossovers such as the
Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia.
GM manufactured the Ascender for Isuzu, and Saab was part of GM back when the SUVs were built.
