1967 Buick Skylark on 2040-cars

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GM follows up Lambda CUV stop-sale with tire recall

In late January, General Motors announced a stop-sale for about 6,281 examples of the 2015 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave because of the possibility for the treads cracking on their 18-inch Goodyear Fortera HL tires. At the time, GM said that this would also eventually lead to a safety campaign to repair the problem, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has just published those details. GM's recall covers 5,876 of the three Lambda platform crossovers to replace their tires. According to NHTSA, if the treads crack, there could be a loss of pressure and possible failure. Goodyear already announced its own recall of the tires after internal testing found small tread cracks. The company did not believe this was safety issue, but the problem did put the rubber out of compliance with federal laws. The business's safety campaign covered an estimated 48,512 tires. Of those, around 32,000 were reportedly made for GM to either be fitted to vehicles or sold as replacements. The remainder went to the aftermarket. Goodyear's portion of the recall is expected to begin around February 20. RECALL Subject : Tire Tread Cracking/FMVSS 110 Report Receipt Date: JAN 28, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V044000 Component(s): TIRES Potential Number of Units Affected: 5,876 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) BUICK ENCLAVE 2015 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE 2015 GMC ACADIA 2015 Details Manufacturer: General Motors LLC SUMMARY: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured December 9, 2014, to January 14, 2015, 2015 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured December 9, 2014, to January 20, 2015, and 2015 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured December 9, 2014, to January 16, 2015, and all equipped with Goodyear P255/65R18 Fortera HL tires. These vehicles are equipped with tires that may experience tread cracking. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or Less." CONSEQUENCE: If the tire treads crack, a loss of tire pressure and possible tire failure may result, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the tires that were manufactured within a specific date range, free of charge.

Cadillac, Buick and Chevy decisions impacted by worries abroad

European Concerns Drive GM, But Beware Of The French Connection
GM's bid to rationalize Europe will impact the products that will be offered domestically.
It seems that Europe is defining the future of General Motors more so than its home North American market. Having axed Saturn, Pontiac and Hummer, GM has done a fairly good job of repositioning its remaining four divisions, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick and GMC. Cadillac carries the luxury banner. Chevrolet is aimed at the masses with cars and trucks along with a nod to performance thanks to Camaro and Corvette. Buick bridges the premium gap between Chevy and Cadillac, while GMC offers a hardcore work/upscale proposition.

Junkyard Gem: 1978 Buick Electra 225

The Buick Electra was a big, plush, dignified land yacht for the 1959 through 1976 model years, but certain events in the middle 1970s, coupled with increasing sales of imported cars, convinced The General that a weight-loss program would help Electra sales. For the 1977 model year, the big Buick became 11 inches shorter and shed close to 900 pounds. Sales took off. Most of these cars are gone now, but I was able to find this faded '78 in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service yard a few weeks back. Just to be clear, the Buick Electra in the iconic Sir Mix-a-Lot video, My Hooptie, is a 1969 model. That car was much bigger and more powerful than today's Junkyard Gem. This car has the optional Oldsmobile 403-cubic-inch V8 engine under the hood, which was good for 185 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. This is the same type of engine that was badged as a 6.6-liter plant in the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am of Smokey and the Bandit fame, and GM's mix-and-match games with engines from different divisions went on to cause great disgruntlement among buyers who wanted a Buick engine in a Buick. The silver-faced gauges were pretty cool-looking by late-1970s standards. The interior is standard-issue Detroit luxury car for the era: much vinyl, many molded-in fake stitches, plenty of not-trying-very-hard-to-look-real "wood." These cars rode very comfortably and looked sharp, so who cared if the interiors were plasticky? According to Glenn Ford, the '78 Electra carried on an ancient tradition of Buick luxury. Related Video: