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GM recalling 250,000 SUVs over door electronics

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 After a door-fire investigation that dates back to February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially announced a recall today that affects around 250,000 General Motors SUVs for a faulty driver's door module. The recall applies to the Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7X from the 2006 and 2007 model years, as well as the 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL for vehicles sold and/or registered in the Snow Belt.

Road salt use in these midwestern and northern states can lead to corrosion of the driver's door module on these GMT360 and GMT370 vehicles, which allows water to come in contact with the circuit board. If shorted out, the vehicle's power door locks and power windows will not work, and could possibly lead to overheating and, in some circumstances, a fire. No official word on how many total vehicles caught on fire, but back in June, 28 fires had been reported to the government agency. A fix for the problem is still being worked out, but all affected vehicle owners will be notified by GM.

Scroll down for the official NHTSA statement.

Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):
BUICK / RAINIER 2006-2007
CHEVROLET / TRAILBLAZER 2006-2007
GMC / ENVOY 2006-2007
ISUZU / ASCENDER 2006-2007
SAAB / 9-7X 2006-2007

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC Mfr's Report Date: AUG 15, 2012

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 12V406000 NHTSA Action Number: EA12004


Component: VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

Potential Number of Units Affected: 249,260

Summary:
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, SAAB 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender vehicles, originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Fluid may enter the driver's door module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.

Consequence:
A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Remedy:
The remedy plan is still being finalized. A notification schedule has not been determined yet. Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC owners will be notified by GM. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. Isuzu owners will be notified by Isuzu Motors. Owners may contact Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727. SAAB owners will be notified by SAAB Cars North America and for inquiries, owners may call SAAB customer service at 1-855-880-0808.

Notes:
GM's campaign number is 12180. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

By Jeffrey N. Ross


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