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GM Recalling Another 2.7 Million Vehicles In Five Separate Campaigns

The recalls keep rolling in from General Motors, evidently keen to avoid repeating the mistakes of the ignition-switch debacle and clean house. This time they're all coming at once, with five separate recalls announced together covering approximately 2.7 million vehicles. The largest of the five actions involves over 2.4 million units of the previous-generation Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura in order to fix brake light wiring harness, which have been found to be susceptible to corrosion. The recall is separate from the 56k Aura sedans which GM recently recalled over faulty shift cables, not to mention the previous massive recall of 1.3 million vehicles – some of them the same models – but appears to have resulted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation that started with the G6 almost a year ago. The second-largest campaign involves the 2014 Chevy Malibu, specifically those fitted with GM's 2.5-liter engine and stop/start system, approximately 140,000 examples of which has been found to have problematic brakes. The issue does not appear to be connected to the recall of 8k Malibu and Buick LaCrosse sedans (also involving brake woes) which we reported upon last week. Four crashes have been reported in such models, but GM admits it's not yet clear if the problem was a contributing factor in the accidents. A further 112k Corvette models from the 2005-2007 model years are being called in for problems with their low-beam headlamps resulting from a flexing relay control circuit wire that's not meant to bend. GM says it is "aware of several hundred complaints" about this issue, but notes that there have been no reports of related accidents. In addition, over 19k examples of Cadillac CTS from the 2013 and 2014 model years are being recalled over windshield wipers that might not work after a jump start. Finally, GM is also bringing in 477 examples of its 2014 Chevy Silverado, Tahoe and GMC Sierra (though not the Yukon) to fix a problem with a tie rod in its steering rack. As ever, all recall repairs will be performed free of charge, and GM is now estimating that recall-related actions this quarter will result in an estimated $200-million charge against its second-quarter earnings. Read the full announcement from GM below for further details.

Semi-autonomous Cadillac CT6 has Batman's seal of approval

Earlier this year, Cadillac pushed the launch of its Super Cruise semi-autonomous technology back to 2017, but it looks like the automaker is still hard at work testing the system on its vehicles. Our photographers snapped a CT6 sedan with what appears to be the Super Cruise technology in broad daylight. The CT6 in the pictures, ignoring the massive equipment on the car's roof, appears to be stock. The barely camouflaged vehicle has more sensors on the front fascia and a black rear bumper, but other than those points, looks normal. Getting back to the massive piece of equipment on the CT6's roof. There's no way to definitively state what it is, but there appears to be four cameras on the corners of the rack. A sensor or camera is also fitted to the right side mirror, which is slightly camouflaged. With all of the wires from the roof going into the vehicle, there's a chance that the massive blacked-out piece of equipment on the roof could be used to gather data. While the equipment looks extremely scientific, someone at Cadillac must have a sense of humor, or be a huge fan of DC Comics, as a Batman's logo is prominently displayed on the roof-mounted gear. Cadillac announced its Super Cruise semi-autonomous technology two years ago. The system will be able to speed the car up, keep the vehicle in its lane, and slow it down. The goal, in 2014, was to introduce the technology in two years (2016), but the automaker delayed the tech until 2017. Related Video: Featured Gallery Cadillac CT6 Super Cruise Spy Shots View 13 Photos Image Credit: Spied Bible / Brian Williams Design/Style Spy Photos Cadillac Technology Autonomous Vehicles Luxury Sedan cadillac ct6 Super Cruise

Canada opens probe into 250,000 GM pickups, SUVs over brake performance

Transport Canada, the auto safety regulator, has opened a probe into braking issues in nearly 250,000 General Motors full-size pickups and SUVs after U.S. officials launched a similar probe last year, the agency said on its website. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in November into 2.73 million U.S. 2014-2016 model year SUVs and pickups after receiving 487 reports of hard brake pedal effort accompanied by extended stopping distance that were attributed to deterioration of the engine-driven brake assist vacuum pump. Transport Canada's probe covers 249,700 2015 through 2017 model year vehicles including the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon as well as 2014-2017 Chevrolet Silverado LD and GMC Sierra LD vehicles. The U.S. agency said it had reports of nine incidents of vehicles incurring damage as a result of colliding with another vehicle or fixed object at low speeds and reports of two injuries. NHTSA said if the pump fails to operate, the amount of brake power assist can be significantly reduced, extending vehicle stopping distance. The NHTSA sent GM an information request in a Feb. 7 letter. A GM spokesman said he had no update on the investigation. Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis