Recalled Saturn Ion facing separate federal safety probe

[Haltech]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Saturn



General Motors may be staring down another recall campaign for one of its models already embroiled in its high-profile ignition recall. The 2003-2007 Saturn Ion is already among the 1.6-million vehicles being recalled for faulty ignition switches, and now new light is being shed on a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation over 2004-2007 models centering on a loss of power steering.

The government safety regulator has received 846 complaints about the problem and claims that GM has had 3,489 reports of failure. Of those cases, there have been 16 accidents and 2 injuries reported, according to Automotive News. While NHTSA has been conducting an investigation since September 2011, no recall has been issued yet.

The inquiry's length was brought to light by an organization called the National Legal and Policy Center that alleges GM and NHTSA have known about the problem but are delaying a recall. It has sent a letter to CEO Mary Barra asking "to recall Saturn Ions for the model years 2004 through 2007 without further delay." The letter in question is available in full on the group's website.

GM previously recalled roughly 1.05-million Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 models due to a defect in the electric power steering assist motor. It found that a buildup of brush debris and oily material could cause the part to stop working. NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation says that it was able to duplicate the same failure in the Ion, which is a related model. The automaker issued a service bulletin in June 2012 for the Saturn adding a 10-year, 150,000-mile warranty on the motor, and if it failed it would be replaced at no charge. NHTSA's investigation report can be read below, and the service bulletin can be read here as a PDF. We've reached out to the parties involved for further details and comment, and we'll update this story when we hear back.Continue reading Recalled Saturn Ion facing separate federal safety probe

Recalled Saturn Ion facing separate federal safety probe originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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