General Motors

Recall madness: Nissan, GM, Ford, millions of fixes for all

The auto industry is on pace for another banner year, for all the wrong reasons — recalls. After dubious yearly records of 50.99 recalls in 2014 and 51.22 million recalls in 2015, recent recalls by Nissan, Ford and Fiat Chrysler, among other automakers, are rapidly boosting this year’s totals. Nissan recently announced the biggest of the latest recalls worldwide. It’s recalling 3.53 million vehicles equipped with passenger-side airbags may not work properly because vehicle sensors may malfunction. The recall includes the 2013-2017 Nissan Altima, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, Pathfinder, Sentra, Rogue, NV200, NV Taxi, Infiniti JX35/QX60, and Q50. It also includes the 2013-2017 Chevrolet City Express built for General Motors by Nissan. Nearly 3.2 million of the recalled vehicles are in

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2015 Buick LaCrosse: Flagship sedan a success

General Motors has a lot invested in the Buick LaCrosse. It’s the carmaker’s flagship, full-sized sedan, and it has replaced some well-established styles, the Buick Century, Buick Regal and Buick Lucerne. Now in the sixth year of its second generation, the 2015 Buick LaCrosse offers several updates as it advances steadily into its second decade. It’s the brand’s best-selling vehicle in North America. Advanced technology and additional comfort highlight the updates for the 2015 LaCrosse. With the exception of the base model, the Onstar system now offers 4G LTE and WiFi, there are a rearview camera and four-way adjustable headrests as standard equipment. Further new technology in the infotainment system now includes the ability to read text messages and Siri

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GM ready to jolt Tesla with new Bolt

Pull over, Tesla. The Chevrolet Bolt wants to pass. At least General Motors hopes that’s the case with its all-electric Bolt concept car debuting at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Bolt, the sibling of the Chevrolet Volt, has a 200-mile range as a pure electric car, according to GM, and it ould be available to the public in 2017. The Volt is “an extended-range electric,” meaning it also has a backup gas engine. The second-generation 2016 Volt will also be shown at the North American International Auto Show. According to a report last week in the Wall Street Journal, the Bolt will be priced in the $30,000 to $35,000 range after incentives, including a $7,500 federal

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Ford F-150 again tops best-selling vehicle list

The Ford F-150 pick-up truck and the Toyota Corolla don’t appear to have much in common. But they do. The Ford-150 had been made for 67 years; the Toyota Corolla is now 43 years old. The two enduring vehicles are perennially on the top-10 selling vehicle list in the United States. Although 2014 totals won’t be tallied until early January 2015, the Ford 150 will again lead the top-10 vehicle sales for the year. It will mark the 44th consecutive year the F-150 will lead truck sales. The Toyota Corolla may not lead the pack, but its enduring popularity is remarkable. Several years ago, it became the best-selling vehicle in history. Here’s a synopsis of the Ford F-150 and Toyota

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2015 Chevrolet Corvette under scrutiny, recall next?

The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette, the iconic vehicle often dubbed through the years as “America’s Sports Car,” is having difficulty. Although it hasn’t been recalled, General Motors has issued two stop-sale orders because of the difficulties with the driver’s airbag and in other instances, the parking brake cables. “General Motors has told Chevrolet dealers to stop delivery of approximately 2,000 2015 Corvettes to fix the driver’s airbag. GM has also temporarily stopped shipment of the cars from the plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the automaker said in a statement. “Separately, another 800 Corvettes — most of them at dealerships — are on hold because they may have been built with only one of the rear parking brake cables fully seated and

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GM tough year continues, now 30 million recalls in 2014

General Motors has had a tough year. With its latest recall of Pontiac G8, Chevrolet Carprice and Cadillac models, GM has now recalled about 30 million cars in 2014. The latest recall includes about 60,000 vehicles. On certain Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet Caprice models, the vehicles “may experience unintended key rotation from the ‘Run’ to ‘ACC’ position if the driver’s knee interacts with the ignition key,” according to GM. The recalled Cadillacs have fuel pump issues, repairable at dealers. The Caprice model is a police vehicle. No injuries or fatalities have been reported from the latest recall. GM reported one crash. Despite the high profile of the ignition switch recall earlier this year which has been tied to at least

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GM spiralling, recalls another 7.55 million cars

General Motors is further scrambling in its massive safety issue, this time announcing new safety recalls in the United States involving another 7.55 million vehicles from the 1997 to 2014 model years. According to the Wall Street Journal, GM reported it’s aware of seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities in the latest round of recalled vehicles. The fatalities occurred in older model full-size sedans being recalled for inadvertent ignition key rotation. The latest round of recalls may increase GM’s financial cost to $1.2 billion in second quarter of this year in repairs. The tally included a previously disclosed $700 million charge for recalls already announced.   This year, GM has also detailed plans to recall more than 20 million

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GM nailed again, this time $10 billion lawsuit

As if the recall of 20 million cars and a new CEO isn’t enough turmoil, GM is now being sued for $10 billion. The lawsuit, filed by attorneys Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, details GM hurt its customers by concealing defects. The result: devaluation of many late-model vehicles by about $500 to $2,600 in resale value. The news agency, Reuters reported the plaintiff is Anna Andrews, a California resident and GM customer. Andrews is seeking class-action status for people who owned or leased GM vehicles sold between the company’s bankruptcy and April 1, 2014 It’s the first legal claim that GM owes customers some compensation for damaging its brand and reputation — a total exceeding $10 billion, to be paid to

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General Motors: low spark in massive recall rate

The latest chapter in the omnipresent woes of General Motors revealed that four months after the company began recalling 2.6 million small cars to fix ignition switches, only seven percent of the vehicles have been repaired. The reason: Switch maker Delphi has had delays in making the part for cars that are no longer being produced. General Motors reported through June 12, nearly 177,000 cars have been repaired and another 423,000 parts kits have been shipped to dealers worldwide. Spokesman Kevin Kelly said Delphi had only one assembly line building replacement switches, which slowed parts distribution. Kelly added the company now has two lines and a third will be running in late July or early August. General Motors expects to

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GM image enhancer: Test-drive a Cadillac, get $100

General Motors hasn’t been a beacon in the automotive industry recently. As such, the company is looking for new ways to market, like giving potential buyers $100 for test-driving a Cadillac. According to several automotive sites, the Cadillac promotion is simple. Customers would receive a $100 gift card after test driving a Cadillac. There are two “catches.” The new test-drive promotion is open to drivers over the age of 21 and who own a non-GM vehicle that’s newer than 2004. General Motors’ theory behind the promotion is simple marketing. The company believes potential customers will be so impressed with Cadillac showrooms (and the test drive), they’ll be more likely to buy a new vehicle. The $100 is delivered in the

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General Motors slammed with $35 million recall fine

General Motors has been fined a record $35 million in civil penalties for its inadequate handling of a recall of more than two million vehicles with ignition switch problems. The Department of Transportation said GM violated federal safety laws and its decree said GM should change how it handles review of safety issues. The GM recall includes the 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. The fine stems from an investigation into the Chevrolet Cobalt and other GM cars that were found to have faulty ignition. The problem can allow an ignition switch to move out of the “run” position. It can cause air bags to fail

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Pontiac Aztek: Reviled, revered, cult classic

The Pontiac Aztek is likely the most maligned car in modern history. Like the Ford Pinto, Chevrolet Vega and Yugo it has been described as the ugliest car ever built and the worst car ever made. Sometimes, the criticism cut deep. One reviewer said of the Aztek, said: “The styling of the car is its best feature.” The 2001 Aztek was the most picked on model. It looked like a badly designed space vehicle or a tank that had been totaled. It was rough-edged and gaudy. Still, the Pontiac Aztek had such a rotten reputation, it’s become a cult car. I’ve spoken with two Aztek owners recently who said they wouldn’t trade their Azteks for a new SUV. My second

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Massive GM recall oddity: 1.4 million cars still unfixed

The 10-year delay in the massive General Motors ignition switch recall is being investigated by Congress and the Justice Department. But the story has a second oddity. None of the cars among the five brands recalled have been repaired. The cars involved include: Chevrolet Cobalt and HHR, Saturn Sky and Ion and Pontiac G5 and Solstice. General Motors said it sent letters to the owners of cars from model years 2005 through 2007 involved in the problem. But owners haven’t been asked to schedule repairs because there aren’t enough parts available to fix all of the 1.4 million vehicles affected. General Motors has reported it will have the parts and will begin repairs in April. The repair will take an

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General Motors raises 2014 Corvette Stingray price

The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, the car often known as America’s sportswear, just got more expensive. General Motors has announced the base price of the sports car just went up by $2,000, from $51,000 to $53,000. The manufacturer has also increased the price for the Stingray convertible by $2,000. It now costs $58,000. In addition, the price of the Z51 performance option package went up by $1,200. It now costs $4,000. The Z51 package adds larger wheels, performance tires and special aerodynamic features, among other things. “The consumer demand for Stingray has far exceeded our expectations, particularly for the Z51 package,” GM spokesman Monte Doran said. The Corvette was completely redesigned for the 2014 model year and has won a number

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General Motors recall lapse could cost carmaker millions

General Motors could face millions of dollars in civil penalties as the aftermath of publicly apologizing for responding quickly enough to a safety issue linked to 13 deaths and 31 accidents. The financial ramifications could occur if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines the automaker neglected to inform regulators. The NHTSA is also facing criticism for not demanding GM act more quickly to recall more than 1.6 million vehicles, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The recall is linked to the cars’ ignition switches, which GM says can be accidentally turned from the “run” position to the “accessory” position while the car is being driven. When this happens, the engine shuts off and safety systems

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GM first: Mary Barra picked as new chief executive

Mary Barra became the first woman at the top level of the United States automotive industry Dec. 11 when she was named chief executive of General Motors. Barra, 51, the currrent executive vice president of global product development and global purchasing, will replace current chief executive Dan Akerson on Jan. 15. The selection of Barra to lead GM marked the latest among several appointments of woman chief executives to corporations long dominated by men. Last year, the technology firm Yahoo named a woman as president and CEO. Also, women have been named in recent years to run defense contractors General Dynamics Corp. and Lockheed Martin as well as computer giants IBM and Hewlett-Packard.   Barra’s promotion came one day after

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