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 - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | |||
| 11/11/2012 | 92000 | 1 | |
| Hvac system became operational with the ignition turned off for an unknown period of time while the truck was parked in the garage. relay resistor module overheated causing melting of the resistor and circuit board. truck cabin and vicinity around the truck had a strong smell of burning plastic. truck cabin filled with smoke. was only able to turn off the hvac system and stop the burning by disconnecting the wiring harness. dealer had to replace the blower motor, resistor, module connector and relay. burning could have caused the entire vehicle to catch fire causing significant damage to other vehicles parked nearby and the house in which the garage was attached. issue was identical to scenario described in transport canada recall #2011074. *tr | |||