Tuesday, April 19, 2005

GM may face recall of 3.1 million pickups

Silverado, Sonoma, S-10 and Sierra are analyzed for alleged faulty tailgate cables.

By Jeff Plungis / Detroit News Washington Bureau

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WASHINGTON -- For the second time in just over a year, General Motors Corp. is facing the possibility of recalling millions of pickups to fix an allegedly faulty tailgate cable.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had documented nearly 13,000 consumer complaints and warranty claims for Chevrolet Silverado, Sierra, S-10 and Sonoma pickup trucks -- models not covered by a previous tailgate cable recall in March 2004.

The agency is focusing on galvanized steel cables that support the trucks' tailgate. Customers say the cables can corrode and snap, dropping payloads or people to the ground.

In the current probe, covering 3.1 million trucks, NHTSA has logged 29 injuries involving the smaller S-10 and Sonoma pickups for the 1998-2004 model years, and 54 tailgate injuries involving Silverados and Sierras sold in 1998, 1999 and part of the 2000 model year.

"We are cooperating with the investigation," GM spokesman Alan Adler said. "It's premature to talk about a recall."

Last year's recall covered 4.1 million Silverado and Sierra pickups to fix a similar problem. Customers have been informed via mail that they can take their trucks to a dealer for new rust-resistant stainless steel cables, Adler said.

In its communications with NHTSA, GM has noted differences in the design of the cables now under investigation compared with the trucks recalled last year. GM said it made a design change in Oct. 1999 that allowed moisture to weaken the cables.

In a summary of its investigation into the smaller pickups, NHTSA noted the S-10 and the Sonoma cables used similar sheathing material as the larger pickups recalled last year.

GM told NHTSA it has had few complaints about these cables.

The two investigations are now in a stage known as an engineering analysis, which means NHTSA has more reason to believe there is a defect. In 2003, 58 percent of engineering analyses led to a recall.

You can reach Jeff Plungis at (202) 906-8204 or jplungis@detnews.com.