In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Bavarian automaker says that due to a manufacturing error, the automatic transmission’s parking lock may not occur even if the “P” position has been selected and is displayed.
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According to Bloomberg News, a report released by the House Oversight and Government Committee Report led by California Republican Representative Darrell Issa poses the question whether the six-month delay in making the fire-risk issue public has anything to do with the government’s 32 percent stake in General Motors.
“This unnatural relationship has blurred the lines between the public and private sector as President Obama touts the survival of General Motors as one of the top accomplishments of his administration”, read the report. “On a political level, this relationship raises serious questions about whether or not the administration is too heavily invested in the success of GM to be an effective regulator.”
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The federal safety agency stated that after an eight-week long investigation and following a fix announced by GM to reduce the potential for battery intrusion from side impacts, it concludes that "no discernible defect trend exists".
"Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles," the agency said in a statement.
NHTSA had opened the investigation on November 28, 2011, after some Volts either caught fire or started to emit smoke and/or sparks in the days or weeks following a crash test.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] said that the recall involves 145,755 vehicles and affects certain 2006-2008MY Optima sedans manufactured from September 29, 2005, through January 29, 2008, and 2007-2008MY Rondo minivans built from September 13, 2006, through March 21, 2008.
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The company said that the circuit board might malfunction and overheat which could result in a vehicle fire adding, however, that there have been no reports of any injuries or accidents related to the glitch.
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The first action concerns 205,896 units of the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans from the 2004 and 2005 model years as they may have defective torque converter output shafts.
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In General Motors' case, the problem has to do with the Chevrolet Volt's battery package as severe-impact lab tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] resulted in some cars catching fire days or weeks after the crash.
GM's own investigation found that the problem has to do with the protective casing around the battery coolant system as it could be pierced during impact allowing fluid to leak onto a circuit board thus causing an electrical short.
The Detroit-based automaker said it will address the problem by strengthening the structure around the batteries while also adding a sensor in the reservoir of the battery coolant system to monitor coolant levels and a tamper-resistant bracket to the top of the battery coolant reservoir to help prevent potential coolant overfill.
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Honda took the decision in spite of the fact that federal law requires automakers only to stop selling new cars when a recall campaign is issued, as it does not demand the same for used vehicles.
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On Tuesday, the California-based maker of the Karma announced that the majority of the cars affected by the recall have either had their battery packs replaced or the faulty clamp that caused the leak repaired and are already back on the streets.
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In Honda's case, the safety recall involves only nine Odyssey minivans from the 2012 model year, built from October 31, 2011, through November 30, 2011.
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The automaker said it became aware of the problem on November 29 when a customer brought a 2012 Sonic into a dealership complaining about noises coming from the brakes. The company noted that here are no known crashes or injuries related to the issue.
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The maker of the extended-range plug-in hybrid model said the safety recall concerns a total of 239 2012MY Karma sedans built from July 1, 2011, through November 3, 2011.
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However, the company prefers to use the term "upgrade" instead of "recall" as it claims there is no safety hazard associated with the old starter motor.
The maker of the world's cheapest automobile said the installation of the new starter motor began in October this year and that it has already replaced the starter in 50,000 Nano cars.
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However, for a number of owners of the short-lived Infiniti M45 sedan from the 2003 and 2004 model years, waiting for the low fuel warning light to go up before visiting a service station, can prove to be troublesome.
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The affected 2010 and 2011 model year Cadillac SRX vehicles were built from October 26, 2008, through June 23, 2011.
General Motors said that it became aware of the problem when it received a customer letter on June 22, 2011, alleging unintended vehicle motion in a 2011 SRX as the customer attempted to shift between Park and Drive and then back to Park.
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In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Nissan explained that the zinc coating applied to the terminal stud bolt may be too thick and as a result, it could lead to a voltage drop the can damage the engine control module (ECM).
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] said that this may cause the circuit board to fail and as a result, the power steering assist feature will cease to function thus increasing the force needed to steer the vehicle.
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However, General Motors, which is currently cooperating with the NHTSA to address the fire issues that ensued after the agency’s crash tests, may even go as far as redesigning its extended-range hybrid’s battery which is manufactured by South Korea's LG Chem.
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