GM recalls 41,000 cars over fuel leak concerns

PanARMENIAN.Net - General Motors Co. is recalling nearly 41,000 cars sold in warm-weather states, including California, because of concerns that a defective plastic part might cause a fuel leak, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the federal agency said GM is recalling 2007-09 Pontiac G5 and Chevrolet Cobalt sedans as well as 2007 models of the Saturn Ion sedan, Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent sport-utility vehicles.

"Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the plastic supply or return port on the fuel pump module may crack, which could cause a fuel leak," the agency said in a statement posted on its website. "Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire."

The recall applies to the vehicles sold or currently registered in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Texas and California. The recall also applies to some models sold or registered in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

GM told NHTSA that it began investigating the problem in 2011 after a dealer reported fuel leaking from five vehicles.

The automaker said it had not received any reports of fires or injuries related to the defect, and that the problem is more prevalent in warm-weather states.

GM said it will notify owners and replace the fuel module free of charge, including for those who live outside the states affected by the recall. That offer is valid for 10 years or 120,000 miles from the date the vehicle was sold, GM spokesman Alan Adler told the Associated Press.

The announcement came a week after GM announced a large recall of Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn mid-size sedans to fix a transmission problem that could cause cars to roll away after the driver left the vehicle.

That recall affects more than 426,000 model year 2007-10 Saturn Auras and 2008-10 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission and sold in the U.S.