Recall Alert: Chevy Express and GMC Savana

[rickaren]

Recall Alert: Chevy Express and GMC Savana

Posted: Mar. 29, 2010

General Motors has announced a safety recall for the 2010 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana. The recall, which affects 5,000 models built in February and March 2010, concerns an alternator that could cause a vehicle fire.

In the wake of the recent Toyota recalls, GM is erring on the side of caution. According to Left Lane News, the domestic automaker “has announced that it will stop the production and sale of all Express and Savana vans until a fix can be determined.”

Only the 2500 and 3500 series heavy-duty models are affected by the recall, since the light-duty models use a different alternator that is not a fire risk. So far, GM has identified three fires related to the recall -- though they say no injuries or accidents have resulted from the defect.

Owners can check their vehicles’ VIN numbers to verify whether they are affected by the recall. The affected 2010 Chevrolet Express 2500 and 3500 models have a VIN between A1129327 and A1142523, while the GMC Savana 2500 and 3500 models have VINS between A1128784 and A1901915. About 1,400 aftermarket alternators are also included in the recall. That means owners who had a heavy-duty alternator replaced in February or March in a 2005-2010 heavy-duty Express or Savana (or any other 2005-2009 GM truck or SUV) might be affected.

However, the Detroit News says, “Relatively few of the affected vans are in retail customer possession, [GM] said. About 1,300 are in rental and other fleets, and a stop sale order was issued Friday, preventing the fleet-owned vans from being rented or those on dealer lots from being sold.”

GM asks owners who have affected vehicles to stop driving their vehicles, park them away from buildings and other vehicles, and disconnect both battery cables.

Though this is just another recall in a long series that started with Toyota’s high-profile unintended acceleration recalls, it’s one of only a few that prompted an automaker to halt sales.

Daily Finance wonders when the mounting recalls will begin to take a toll on auto sales as a whole: “How many recalls will it take to break the public's trust in new cars and trucks? At what point do a growing number of people decide to keep their old vehicles until this wave of recalls, which now includes almost every large auto company, is over?”

LINK:Recall Alert: Chevy Express and GMC Savana - U.S. News Rankings and Reviews