DETROIT (AP) — General Motors and Isuzu are recalling more than 258,000 sport utility vehicles in the United States and Canada to fix short circuits in power-window and door-lock switches that can cause fires. þþThe recall covers Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 97-X S.U.V.’s from the 2006 and 2007 model years. It affects those sold or registered in 20 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada, where salt and other chemicals are used to clear roads in the winter. þþG.M. has reports of 28 fires. It does not know of any injuries caused by the problem. þþFluid containing the road-clearing chemicals can get inside the driver’s door and cause corrosion in the power-window and door-switch circuit boards, according to documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site. The corrosion can cause short circuits, knocking out the switches and causing fires. þþThe recall affects S.U.V.’s sold or registered in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin. þþDealers will replace the power-window switch free, according to documents posted by the federal agency on Saturday. Owners will get letters telling them when to schedule appointments. G.M. also will make repairs at no cost to owners living in states not covered by the recall, a company spokesman, Alan Adler, said in an e-mail. þþThe agency started investigating the S.U.V.’s in February after getting a dozen complaints of fires. þþIn one complaint filed with the agency, from Oct. 29, 2008, a woman reported that the alarm sounded while her 2006 TrailBlazer was parked in her driveway. When she looked outside, she saw the S.U.V. in flames. Firefighters put out the blaze and told her it started in the driver’s door. þþ“The fire burned the entire driver’s side of the vehicle, a portion of the front passenger seat and the roof,” she wrote. þþThe TrailBlazer was the biggest seller among the S.U.V.’s and helped make the truck-based sport utility vehicle popular in the United States. The S.U.V.’s were phased out in 2009 and replaced by more efficient car-based crossovers. þþG.M. manufactured the Ascender for Isuzu, and Saab was part of G.M. when the recalled vehicles were built. þ
Source: NY Times
