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 | |||
| 10/25/2008 | 1500 | 1 | |
| While slowly backing my 2008 gmc sierra pick-up truck into the garage, the mirror surface contacted the side of the garage, cracking the mirror. insurance company recommended having an auto glass shop replace the mirror, but a small, flimsy plastic clip that had broken on the back of the mirror prevented them from doing so. cut hand on broken mirror surface after removed by glass shop. dealer estimated repair at $213.02. gm corporate refused to acknowledge defect in mirror backing clip and refused any assistance whatsoever (district specialist level referral from owner relations center. i thought that flexible mirror assemblies were supposed to survive minor collisions - a previous gm vehicle (blazer) performed admirably in a 25 mph collision with a chrome f250 truck mirror w/no damage to the blazer mirror or assembly. the gmc professional grade (term used very loosely here) truck that i now own won't even stand up to a minor clip on the side of the garage at slow speed. engineering defects are 1) mirror actuator assembly is of poor quality and/or workmanship and 2) mirror assembly moves up slightly when pivoting, which probably contributed to the breakage at such slow speed (was slowly backing up an incline into the garage). apparently, i was not convincing enough to gm that they have a problem with flimsy mirrors - perhaps nhtsa and bbb can be more persuading. all i asked for was that they cover the flimsy plastic actuator and part of the $93 labor quoted for the job by the dealer. the mirror itself i have no qualms paying for. old parts are available on the truck - i plan to drive my nearly new truck as is for a while as a symbol of gm's poor quality of workmanship and poor customer service. i also plan on telling as many people as possible about how flimsy gm makes their vehicles and how non-existent their customer support is. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | |||
| 12/08/2008 | 6200 | 1 | 08/01/2008 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra 1500. in cold weather, the windshield wipers freeze up and fail to wipe the windshield. the contact attempted to replace the part to the windshield, but could not find a winter blade. the dealer was unable to assist and stated that there were many complains about the winter blades not being available. the failure and current mileages were 6,200. updated 1/6/09 *cn updated 01/14/09.*jb | |||