GM recall has limited response
A “deadly” General Motors defect leading to a wave of recalls did not result in a surge of drivers taking their cars in for service nationally.
But some residents in Washington and Greene counties said a parts shortage has not been fixed, causing long-term delays to have parts changed.
The defect involves the ignition and key for many GM vehicles.
Mather resident Crystal Plock said her daughter’s 1999 Chevrolet Malibu will take weeks to be fixed because of a parts shortage in Greene County. She said her husband, John, called a Waynesburg dealership to have the car fixed.
“They said he was number 50 on the list, and they had sent them enough (parts) to do about two dozen cars,” she said.
Plock said she is concerned because a letter from GM said not to drive the car, but her daughter needs it to drive to work daily from Richeyville to Washington.
“I’m not happy about it,” she said. “It’s kind of frustrating to be honest with you.”
Don Craig said he called a Pleasant Hills dealer about his Buick Lucerne after receiving a second letter about the recall from GM.
“They didn’t have the parts at all. Didn’t expect them for a month,” he said.
Rich Caswell, service director of Washington Chevrolet, said his company was able to order parts in one or two days.
There was an initial slowdown nationally while the parts were reassembled and went through government approval. But the service is moving quickly now, he said.
“We’re poised to do the service,” he said.
He said they have serviced about 300 to 400 cars since the recall was issued in February and March.
“A lot of people aren’t real anxious,” he said. “They’ve been driving the cars for six, seven years now and haven’t had a problem.”
But he said drivers of recalled cars should call to have the parts changed. In the time since the recall, his employees have become very efficient at changing the defective parts after doing it hundreds of times, he said.
The new parts include a redesigned key that does not allow rotation when excessive weight is put on the key ring. When there is too much weight on the ring, the items attached to the key slide to one side, creating lever action and shutting off the ignition. The new keys have smaller holes for the key ring, which do not allow the weight to shift on the key.
The vehicles involved in the recall are: 2005 to 2009 Buick Lacrosse, 2006 to 2011 Buick Lucerne, 2003 to 2014 Cadillac CTS, 2000 to 2005 Cadillac Deville, 2006 to 2011 Cadillac DTS, 2004 to 2006 Cadillac SRX, 2010 to 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, 2005 to 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006 to 2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2010 to 2014 Chevrolet Impala, 1997 to 2005 Chevrolet Malibu, 2000 to 2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1999 to 2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998 to 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 2007 to 2010 Pontiac G5, 1999 to 2005 Pontiac Grand Am, 2004 to 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2006 to 2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003 to 2007 Saturn Ion and 2007 to 2010 Saturn Sky.