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Feds open investigation into Chevy Express, Ford Freestar rust issues

'Tis the season... for road salt. And with that, comes rust. And what does rust bring? Well, for Ford and General Motors, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation. According to The Detroit News, NHTSA is looking into potential recalls issues with Chevrolet Express vans and Ford Freestar minivans.
The feds have received five complaints that rust has caused leaking fuel filler pipes on 2003 Express vans. Separately, seven complaints have been filed over excessive rust in the rear wheel wells of 2004 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans. The Freestar and Monterey went out of production in 2007. Neither issue has resulted in any crashes or injuries, according to the report.

GM recalling 686k Lambda-platform models for hatch repair

General Motors is recalling 686,287 units of its Lambda platform crossovers. On models equipped with a power rear hatch the system can potentially fail. This campaign includes the 2008-2012 Buick Enclave, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook. According to GM's documents to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (as a PDF), dirt can get into a portion of the strut that holds up the hatch and cause the part to prematurely fail. There's a redundancy in place called the Prop Rod Recovery system that's designed to shut the liftgate if there's a malfunction. However, if the breakdown happens too quickly after the hatch is opened the prop rod might not work the way it's supposed to. If someone were in the way of the falling liftgate, they could be hurt. For the repair, dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit to prevent the hatch from closing so quickly. They'll also check the operation of the system afterward. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Liftgate Struts may Fail and Liftgate may Fall Report Receipt Date: JUN 30, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V415000 Component(s): STRUCTURE Potential Number of Units Affected: 686,287 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) BUICK ENCLAVE 2008-2012 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE 2009-2012 GMC ACADIA 2007-2012 SATURN OUTLOOK 2007-2010 Details Manufacturer: General Motors LLC SUMMARY: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to February 29, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall. CONSEQUENCE: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury. REMEDY: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

NHTSA investigates 1.7 million GM SUVs for windshield wiper failures

WASHINGTON - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday it is investigating whether General Motors should recall an additional 1.7 million sport utility vehicles due to an issue with windshield wiper failures. GM in August 2016 recalled 367,800 2013 GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox SUVs in the United States to address the problem. But after receiving 249 complaints about similar problems, the federal agency said it is probing whether the recall should be expanded to include an additional 1.7 million vehicles from the 2010-2016 model years. The automaker said it is cooperating with the NHTSA review. GM said it recalled the 2013 GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox SUVs "because warranty data showed a higher-than-expected failure rate," adding it has continued to monitor field data on other model years of those vehicles. GM noted that no crashes or injuries related to the issue have been reported. The Detroit-based automaker said the recalls were prompted after a GM Canada brand quality manager reported a potential safety issue relating to reports of windshield wiper failures in Canada through GM's "Speak Up For Safety," program in late 2015. The data showed significantly higher field incidents in parts of Canada, which prompted a June 2016 recall there. Over the next two months, a higher number of U.S. reports prompted a U.S. recall, the company added. In the 2016 recall, GM said the front-wiper module would be replaced with a module that has a water deflector and, if needed, dealers would fill the water management hole and drill a new small hole in a different location.(Reporting by David Shepardson, editing by G Crosse)Related Video: Government/Legal Recalls Chevrolet GM GMC SUV