GM SUV Recall: SUVs Can Catch Fire

General Motors, the car manufacturer beleaguered by vehicle recalls for ignition switch problems, has been forced to issue another vehicle recall – this time, it is the third recall for GM SUVs that can catch fire.

In the first week of August, federal safety regulators released documents that GM will need to attempt another fix of the power window switches, which can catch fire. Reportedly, the problem is so serious that GM has told consumers to leave their SUVs outside, just in case the power window switches ignite.

Unfortunately for the SUV owners, parts to fix the problem won’t be available until October at the earliest. GM has also ordered its dealerships to stop selling the SUVs under the vehicle recall.

The vehicle recall covers about 189,000 SUVs in North America, mainly 2006 and 2007 model years, including the Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainer, Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 97-X.

The problem with the power window switches first appeared in 2012, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began investigating consumer complaints about GM’s SUVs, saying that something about the driver’s side door switch could cause a fire. GM’s initial response at the time was to start a “service campaign,” in which the company sent letters to owners that their vehicles were not under recall, but their service warranty had been extended because water could get into the windows and cause the power window switches to overheat or short-circuit, which could lead to fires. The campaign was limited to 20 states and Washington, DC, where salt is used to melt snow in the winter.

By August 2012, government pressure forced GM to issue a vehicle recall for 278,000 of the GM SUVs in cold-weather states. However, as the NHTSA kept investigating, the agency kept uncovering problems with the SUVs, including a 2008 report in which a woman heard the alarm sounding on her 2006 TrailBlazer as it was parked outside – when she went to the window to investigate, she found that her car was in flames.

“The fire burned the entire driver’s side of the vehicle, a portion of the front passenger seat and the roof,” she wrote. Firefighters who put out the blaze told her that it started in the driver’s side door.

GM’s vehicle recall finally put in a fix last year, which was a protective coating over around the window switch to prevent water from leaking in. However, GM has still received complaints that the power window switches can catch fire.

“We are recalling them because the fix that we put in did not work,” spokesman Alan Adler said Thursday. “We’re taking care of it. We’re doing the right thing.”

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Defective Products and Vehicle Recall Cases

If you have experienced a problem with a defective product in your automobile, especially if a defective part has led to an auto accident or personal injury, and a proper vehicle recall notice has not been issued, you may be entitled to compensation. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We can help you with complicated auto insurance claims, and make sure you receive the compensation you deserve to help you with lost income and medical bills. Our attorneys are licensed to practice in South Carolina, Georgia, and New York. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case. Contact us today at (803) 252-4800.