Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | ||||||
| EA08010 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/12/2008 | 09/08/2008 | NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES | 08V441000 | |
| In a letter dated august 27, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall (nhtsa recall number 08v-441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population. according to gm, a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the windshield washer fluid heater module may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. this may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke and in rare cases it may cause a fire.as a remedy, gm dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse. in addition to the subject vehicles, several other gm models with the heated windshield washer fluid option are included in recall 08v-441: my 2006-2008 buick lucerne (manufactured august 2005 through november 2007); my 2008 buick enclave (manufactured february 2007 through april 2007); my 2006-2008 cadillac dts (manufactured may 2007 through november 2007); my 2007-2008 saturn outlook (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007); and my 2007-2008 gmc acadia (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007) vehicles.gm is instructing owners to take their vehicle to a dealer for service if they experience symptoms of windshield washer heater module short circuits. gm's recall resolves the safety defect concerns pursued by this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. | ||||||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - SWITCH/WIRING | ||||||
| EA08010 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/12/2008 | 09/08/2008 | NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES | 08V441000 | |
| In a letter dated august 27, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall (nhtsa recall number 08v-441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population. according to gm, a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the windshield washer fluid heater module may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. this may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke and in rare cases it may cause a fire.as a remedy, gm dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse. in addition to the subject vehicles, several other gm models with the heated windshield washer fluid option are included in recall 08v-441: my 2006-2008 buick lucerne (manufactured august 2005 through november 2007); my 2008 buick enclave (manufactured february 2007 through april 2007); my 2006-2008 cadillac dts (manufactured may 2007 through november 2007); my 2007-2008 saturn outlook (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007); and my 2007-2008 gmc acadia (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007) vehicles.gm is instructing owners to take their vehicle to a dealer for service if they experience symptoms of windshield washer heater module short circuits. gm's recall resolves the safety defect concerns pursued by this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 07/05/2011 | 56348 | ||
| Safety recall 10153. the solutions offered by gm is inadequate. they want to disconnect the washer heater and compensate with $100. 1. $100 dollars does not adequately reflect the value of this heated washer option and its loss or the devaluation of my vehicle if the feature is disabled. 2. the heated washer fluid option is a very important safety feature 3. the heated washer fluid system should be repaired, not disconnected. i want to know why gm is not replacing the modules with a equipment that resolves the problem. | |||
| 03/28/2009 | 7500 | 1 | |
| I have a 2008 chevrolet silverado with very low mileage. the issue is a structurally defective windshield. the windshield started cracking under the driver side molding and has progressed towards the center of the windshield. i know for a fact that nothing hit the windshield and the fact that the crack started when there was no one around else on the road. i went to local dealership to have it reviewed. the service manager simply glanced at the windshield and concluded that something hit the windshield when it fact there is nothing to substantiate that statement.. he went on to sell me the line that if there was a defect in the materials that the crack would have showed up before 7,500 miles. as a structural engineer i know that this is factually incorrect statement and nothing more then an excuse to do nothing. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2008 | 13850 | 1 | |
| I was traveling from my home to alexandria,la. to pick up some parts for our farm. weather conditions were changing from warm to cooler temperature due to an incoming cold front. traveling 55 mph on a new smooth section of la. highway 1, when all of a sudden a loud glass shattering noise happened behind me. when i looked back i saw the rear window had shattered and all of the shattered glass had blown out towards the rear bed of the truck. i notified southern chevrolet of the incident by driving by there to show the sales person the exploded condition of the window. after attempting to get the manager, we went in talked with the service manager about it. she had no recollection of previous failures on this truck make. the sales person said he would follow up with the manger and research of any other problems associated with this style of truck and contact me. no response received as of this date 10.23.08. i then proceeded to glass plus and had the back windshield replaced because the rain starting. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | |||
| 12/19/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| 2008 chevrolet silverado - air conditioner blows hot air out of drivers side and cold air out of passenger side. extremely hot air blows out of the drivers side whenever the air is set on 60 (hotter than the max 90). it occurred once before but was fixed by a mechanic costing a couple hundred dollars, but now it has begun again. i am not sure if a part was fixed or replaced but the issue ceased and now has started again. *tr | |||