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GM Calls Its New SUVs Unsafe, Idles Plant
Reuters
DETROIT (April 5) - Calling its new midsize sport utility vehicles unsafe at any speed because of a faulty suspension part, General Motors Corp. on Thursday told 6,000 owners to stop driving them until they can be fixed.
GM also said it was temporarily halting production of the 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Oldsmobile Bravada SUVs, which went on sale this year.
The company has produced about 30,000 of the vehicles, among its most profitable trucks, but only 6,000 have been delivered to consumers.
Spokesman Mike Morrissey said the problem lies with a component in the lower control arm of the front suspension. The automaker has not received any reports of accidents or injuries from the problem, he added.
"If that component were to fail, it could cause a loss of vehicle control," Morrissey said. "We've captured a couple of incidents at the dealerships before the vehicles were delivered where the assemblies had failed."
Dealers will contact owners and arrange for the vehicles to be towed for repair, he said.
GM will idle the assembly plant in Moraine, Ohio, where the SUVs are made, until April 16 to fix the problem, affecting more than 4,000 workers. However, the plant will only lose six days of production, because it will be shut for four days in observance of Easter, said GM spokesman Dan Flores.
The midsize SUVs face a number of new competitors, including Ford Motor Co.'s redesigned Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Toyota Highlander.
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Good to hear about something like this with OTHER car manufacturers.
Reuters
DETROIT (April 5) - Calling its new midsize sport utility vehicles unsafe at any speed because of a faulty suspension part, General Motors Corp. on Thursday told 6,000 owners to stop driving them until they can be fixed.
GM also said it was temporarily halting production of the 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Oldsmobile Bravada SUVs, which went on sale this year.
The company has produced about 30,000 of the vehicles, among its most profitable trucks, but only 6,000 have been delivered to consumers.
Spokesman Mike Morrissey said the problem lies with a component in the lower control arm of the front suspension. The automaker has not received any reports of accidents or injuries from the problem, he added.
"If that component were to fail, it could cause a loss of vehicle control," Morrissey said. "We've captured a couple of incidents at the dealerships before the vehicles were delivered where the assemblies had failed."
Dealers will contact owners and arrange for the vehicles to be towed for repair, he said.
GM will idle the assembly plant in Moraine, Ohio, where the SUVs are made, until April 16 to fix the problem, affecting more than 4,000 workers. However, the plant will only lose six days of production, because it will be shut for four days in observance of Easter, said GM spokesman Dan Flores.
The midsize SUVs face a number of new competitors, including Ford Motor Co.'s redesigned Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Toyota Highlander.
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Good to hear about something like this with OTHER car manufacturers.
