It seems that Toyota isn’t the only automaker in trouble for brake problems. The NHTSA is reportedly looking into complaints of brake failures on 6.2 million GM vehicles. The Detroit News is reporting that there have been 110 complaints, 37 of which have been inspected by dealers and found brake failure. So far only 3 crashes have been reported. While this is similar to Toyota’s issues, where only a small percentage of the affected vehicles have actually had problems, if you’re one of those owners, it can be a scary thing. GM is cooperating with the investigation, so have your dealer take a look at your brake lines if you’re worried.
The problem is due to corrosion of brake lines, which leads to longer braking distances, with the pedal pushed to the floor. The investigation involves all vehicles built from 1999 to 2003, so while there were 6.2 million vehicles built, not all of them are still on the roads. The complaints include vehicles in use for 6 years and under normal driving conditions.
Could GM be the next multi-million recall automaker? The next few weeks or months should show for sure, but I’d bet at least some recall will come from this. A recall for GM definitely isn’t good news, but with the possible recall involving 7 to 11-year old vehicles, it hopefully won’t affect their current up-swing in sales.
by John Suit
Source: The Detroit News