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GM recalls 330,000 fullsize trucks for airbag replacement

General Motors has announced a recall of 330,198 fullsize pickups in the US in the aftermath of the announcement made on May 19 that doubled the number of vehicles being called in to replace Takata's defective airbag inflators. That announcement expanded the nationwide recall to an estimated 33.8 million vehicles in the US. Heavy Duty versions of the 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are included in GM's move, for the purpose of replacing the passenger airbag inflators. The announcement made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association cited long-term exposure to moisture as a possible cause of the inflator issues. GM says it isn't aware of any problems with the recalled pickups due to moisture, nor has it had any reports of crashes, injuries, or fatalities, and has not received any complaints. GM will notify owners, who can then take their trucks to the dealers to have them repaired free of charge. You'll find a statement from GM and the recall notice from NHTSA below. Related Video: General Motors Statement General Motors is recalling 330,198 2007 and 2008 model year full-size Chevrolet Silverado heavy duty and GMC Sierra heavy duty pickup trucks in the U.S. to replace the passenger air bag inflators manufactured by TK Holdings Inc. (Takata). This recall implements Takata's air bag inflator equipment recall announced on May 19, 2015 (NHTSA recall number 15E-041). GM is not aware of any humidity-related ruptures in Takata air bag inflators in any GM-badged vehicles in the field and knows of no crashes, injuries, fatalities or complaints regarding air bag performance in these vehicles. Including Canada and exports, the total number of vehicles being recalled is 374,715. Population breakdown: United States 330,198 Canada 39,630 Exports 4,887 Total 374,715NHTSA RECALL NOTICE: Report Receipt Date: MAY 28, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V324000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 330,198 Manufacturer: General Motors LLCSUMMARY: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 28, 2006, to August 29, 2008, and 2007-2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 27, 2006, to August 29, 2008.

Chevy Spark EV could be coming to Midwest later this year

Ohio is not known as a hotbed of EV sales – if anything, the state is a bit anti-EV, thanks to a legislative fight against Tesla's direct sales model – but it might be on Chevrolet's short list to expand the market for the Spark EV in the near future. The latest official GM press release on the battery-powered Spark still says the car is "available exclusively in California and Oregon," but Hybrid Cars found four Ohio dealerships that list a Spark EV on their websites, with hints the the car will be coming to the Midwest state by the end of the summer. See, for example, here, here, here and here. But that's probably not going to happen, according to Randy Fox, GM communication's manager for passenger cars. Fox told AutoblogGreen that, "At this point in time, we don't have any official plans to expand the Spark EV beyond California and Oregon." The reason is that California and Oregon have the infrastructure to support EVs, Fox said, and GM wants to be able to support its EV customers. "We are continuing to look at other options," he said. "The selling point for electric cars today is not advertising, it's eyeballs, it's peer exposure" – John O'Dell John O'Dell, a senior editor at Edmunds.com, told AutoblogGreen that, "It makes sense for [GM] to expand sales and it makes sense to do it in a quiet manner, to get these vehicles on the road. The selling point for electric cars today is not advertising, it's eyeballs, it's peer exposure. If someone in my neighborhood has one and he likes it, then maybe I can trust him. So it's important to get these vehicles on the road." Chevy sold 182 Spark EVs last month, a significant increase over the 98 sold in April. That's still small potatoes compared to the 3,000+ Nissan Leaf EVs sold last month, but making the electric Spark available in Ohio, say, or GM's home state of Michigan could boost those numbers. AutoblogGreen called a few dealerships in Michigan to see what they had heard. One salesman said he didn't think GM had started production yet but the inventory manager for another dealership said the Spark EV is scheduled to arrive in the Midwest in "roughly the fourth quarter." What would GM's incentive be to offer the car in markets outside of California where it can gain ZEV credits with each sale?

Suzuki recalls 2 million cars globally

Suzuki is recalling two million vehicles across the globe, including a number of Chevrolet Cruze sedans that it builds for General Motors, because the ignition switches may begin to smoke. None of the Cruzes being recalled were sold in the US, though. This recall is limited to the Japanese, European and Australian markets. In Suzuki's home market, 1,873,000 vehicles are being recalled, including the Cruze and a number kei cars built for Mazda (the Carol and AZ-Wagon), as well as the automaker's own Alto, Wagon R and Swift. Affected vehicles were built between 1998 and 2009. The remaining 133,000 vehicles include Cruzes and other Suzuki products sold in Europe and Australia. There have been no reports of injuries or accidents due to the 67 reported incidents, all of which come from the Japanese market, a Suzuki spokesperson told Automotive News. Related Video: