Photo: GM/image edited by autoevolution
Yup, you heard that right. General Motors' latest recall involves over 3 million cars which will have their keys reworked… with an electric drill! The fix involves adding a plastic insert to the ignition key and drilling a 4x6-mm hole through which the key ring can be attached.
This rather shocking bit of news comes a few days after General Motors announced that the entire production run of the 2010 - 2014 Chevrolet Camaro - 511,528 units to be precise, is recalled to have the key fob replaced with a slightly rudimentary design.
The total recall population affected by the previously mentioned glitch involves 3,360,555 cars from the United States, Canada, Mexico and exports. GM says the ignition switch may inadvertently move out of the 'run' position if the key is carrying extra weight or strikes a pothole. The use of a key with a hole rather than a slotted key addresses the concern of unintended key rotation due to a jarring road event, such as crossing railroad tracks.
Seven different nameplates are recalled, out of which one model is still in production - the previous generation Chevrolet Impala (MY 2006 - 2014), sold as the Impala Limited to daily rental fleets Stateside. The other cars affected are the '05 - '09 Buick LaCrosse, '00 - '05 Cadillac DeVille, '07 - '11 Cadillac DTS, '06 - '11 Buick Lucerne, 2005 Buick Regal LS and GS, as well as the '06 - '08 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Until today, GM is aware of six crashes and eight minor injuries related to this fault.
In addition to this latest ignition key recall, General Motors informed that 166,770 vehicles are also called back in five other separate operations. The first action covers 68,887 units of the '13 - '14 Cadillac ATS and 21,863 Cadillac CTS sedans from the 2014 model year. Vehicles equipped with the automatic gearbox feature a shift cable that may not be fully secured to the shifter or transmission bracket. If that cable comes out of the brackets, you can kiss shifting in and out of gear goodbye.
Both the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 HD and 2015 GMC Sierra 2500/3500 HD make up the second recall, involving a tad over 57,000 units with dubious attachment of power steering hose clamps to the power steering pump. With the clamp unattached, the hose may disconnect from the pump, causing a rapid loss of power steering fluid. This will result in loss of power steering assist and the vehicle would revert to manual brakes as well.
16,932 examples of the 2011 model year Cadillac CTS sedan with all-wheel drive are also recalled for a gasket leak located where the constant velocity joint meets the rear propeller shaft. It may cause the rear propeller shaft to separate or become loose, making contact with the vehicle floor above and causing the rollover sensor to deploy the roof rail air bags. GM is aware of 15 unintended deployments, but injury data is unclear.
If you've ordered a 2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette Stingray with the optional Competition Sport Seats, then tough luck 'cause you need to schedule a visit to the dealer service department. 712 Stingrays are called back due to the way these seats were designed. Specifically, an unbelted child may block the passenger seat side air bag vent in a deployment. Thankfully, no accidental deployments or injuries have been reported as of yet.
Finally, the last operation covers 184 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups from the 2014 and 2015 model years. The accessory all-weather floor mats can slip under the driver's feet because they have no attachments to secure them in place. Customers are advised to take the floor mats to their dealers for a full refund.
The total recall population affected by the previously mentioned glitch involves 3,360,555 cars from the United States, Canada, Mexico and exports. GM says the ignition switch may inadvertently move out of the 'run' position if the key is carrying extra weight or strikes a pothole. The use of a key with a hole rather than a slotted key addresses the concern of unintended key rotation due to a jarring road event, such as crossing railroad tracks.
Seven different nameplates are recalled, out of which one model is still in production - the previous generation Chevrolet Impala (MY 2006 - 2014), sold as the Impala Limited to daily rental fleets Stateside. The other cars affected are the '05 - '09 Buick LaCrosse, '00 - '05 Cadillac DeVille, '07 - '11 Cadillac DTS, '06 - '11 Buick Lucerne, 2005 Buick Regal LS and GS, as well as the '06 - '08 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Until today, GM is aware of six crashes and eight minor injuries related to this fault.
In addition to this latest ignition key recall, General Motors informed that 166,770 vehicles are also called back in five other separate operations. The first action covers 68,887 units of the '13 - '14 Cadillac ATS and 21,863 Cadillac CTS sedans from the 2014 model year. Vehicles equipped with the automatic gearbox feature a shift cable that may not be fully secured to the shifter or transmission bracket. If that cable comes out of the brackets, you can kiss shifting in and out of gear goodbye.
Both the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 HD and 2015 GMC Sierra 2500/3500 HD make up the second recall, involving a tad over 57,000 units with dubious attachment of power steering hose clamps to the power steering pump. With the clamp unattached, the hose may disconnect from the pump, causing a rapid loss of power steering fluid. This will result in loss of power steering assist and the vehicle would revert to manual brakes as well.
16,932 examples of the 2011 model year Cadillac CTS sedan with all-wheel drive are also recalled for a gasket leak located where the constant velocity joint meets the rear propeller shaft. It may cause the rear propeller shaft to separate or become loose, making contact with the vehicle floor above and causing the rollover sensor to deploy the roof rail air bags. GM is aware of 15 unintended deployments, but injury data is unclear.
If you've ordered a 2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette Stingray with the optional Competition Sport Seats, then tough luck 'cause you need to schedule a visit to the dealer service department. 712 Stingrays are called back due to the way these seats were designed. Specifically, an unbelted child may block the passenger seat side air bag vent in a deployment. Thankfully, no accidental deployments or injuries have been reported as of yet.
Finally, the last operation covers 184 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups from the 2014 and 2015 model years. The accessory all-weather floor mats can slip under the driver's feet because they have no attachments to secure them in place. Customers are advised to take the floor mats to their dealers for a full refund.
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