DETROIT – General Motors and Isuzu are asking the owners of more than 258,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada to bring in their vehicles in repair shops. This is to fix a problem with short circuit power window switches and the door locks. According to spokespersons of the companies, this problem can cause fires.
The recall involves Chevrolet TrailBlazer trucks, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender and SUVs of Saab 97-X models 2006 and 2007.
GM has reports of 28 fires but there were no injuries caused by the problem.
“You can filter liquids in the driver’s door and cause corrosion in the power window circuit boards and the door switch,” GM said in documents that appear on the website of the National Safety Highway Traffic Administration.
Corrosion can cause wires to short circuit and start fires that will then destroy the switches.
The call affects SUVs sold or registered in the states of 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.
The dealers will replace the electric window switch for free.
To ensure that the recalled vehicles won’t be flocking to the repair shops, GM announced that the owners should wait until they receive a letter indicating the date when they can schedule their appointment at authorized workshops.
According to spokesman Alan Adler, GM also will perform repairs at no cost to those who bought affected vehicles but live in states not covered by the call.
NHTSA began investigating the SUVs in February after receiving a dozen complaints of fires.
In another complaint filed with the NHTSA in October 29, 2008, a woman reported that the alarm of her TrailBlazer 2006 model suddenly rang while the vehicle was parked outside her house. When she looked outside, the SUV was on fire. Firefighters extinguished the fire and said it started in the driver’s door.
