General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced three separate car product defect recalls for several brands and models of General Motors vehicles. These vehicles include the Chevy Camaro, various 2009 model sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks including Chevy Traverse, Colorado, Suburban, Avalanche, Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and the GMC Canyon and Yukon models. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, these product recalls involve about 43,824 cars.

The largest chunk of the recalls is for the 2009 model year SUVs that apparently have a faulty seal in the fuel control system. This allows water to seep into a module causing a short circuit, which could in turn lead to the engine stalling when the vehicle is in operation. This could of course, result in a car crash. When this product recall begins, dealers will install a fuel-system control module at no charge to consumers. The second recall involves Chevy Traverse SUVs. These vehicles fail to comply with a federal brake safety standard. If the shift lever is in any position other than park and the keys are left in the ignition, the cars can roll away when parked on a slope. Dealers will replace a cable link for the parking brake to fix the defective product.

The third recall is not new but was recently expanded and involves the 2010 model year Chevy Camaros with V8 engines. A positive battery cable in these cars can chafe on the starter motor housing. If the insulation wears through, the vehicle may stall or in the worst case scenario cause the car to catch on fire. Dealers will fix this problem for free by rerouting the cable. If you own one of these defective cars, please see a GM dealer immediately to get them repaired. GM officials say that if the company declares bankruptcy June 1, all warranties will still be covered. New car warranties for GM and Chrysler vehicles will be backed by the U.S. government, President Obama has said.

All these are extremely serious car product defects that could lead to major car crashes and cause catastrophic injuries or death to consumers. GM's lack of compliance with federal brake safety standards is nothing new to Bisnar | Chase. In fact, we are spearheading a $350-million car product defect class action lawsuit against GM, which alleges that the auto maker installed defective emergency brakes in several models of its trucks and SUVs. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed as a result of these or other car products, or if you would like to join this class action, please contact the Bisnar | Chase law firm. My staff or I will be more than happy to provide you with additional information about your rights and arrange for a free consultation.

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