Recall Over Steering Rack Issues: the Latest Headache for GM

On Wednesday, General Motors (GM) announced its 30th product recallthis year, bringing the company’s grand total of recalled vehicles to 13.8 million. But the flood of GM recalls is not over yet: reports claim that the company will continue to review vehicle safety issues well into mid-summer, with the possibility of additional recalls on the horizon.

With back-to-back recalls being issued by GM, it’s easy for consumers to bypass some serious – and dangerous – issues in the affected vehicles. For example, last week GM issued five different recalls at once. Of the total 2.7 million vehicles affected, the majority suffered from “taillamp malfunctions.” Hiding at the bottom of the company’s recall announcement, though, was a recall for just under 500 vehicles suffering from a dangerous tie-rod defect that could cause loss of steering control and result in a crash.

The vehicles affected by the tie-rod defect include the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, the 2014 GMC Sierra and 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe. GM said that the attachment that connects the tie rods to the steering gear rack in these vehicles may not be tightened enough, which can cause the two parts to separate. As a result, a driver could suddenly lose control of steering and “a crash could occur without prior warning.”

Those with vehicles affected by the tie-rod defect can bring their vehicles to a GM dealer to have them inspected, and if necessary, get their steering gears replaced, the company said in a notice it sent to drivers. GM stressed the importance of not driving these vehicles until their safety had been assessed, and recommended that drivers “arrange to have [their] vehicle[s] towed to the dealership.”

This is just the latest headache for GM. Within the last two weeks, the company has issued nine recalls affecting more than 3.1 million vehicles, meaning that it has already recalled more vehicles in the first five months of 2014 than it sold between 2009 and 2013.

The recalls have cost the company $1.7 billion.

Unable to escape responsibility for failing to issue a timely recall for more than two million vehicles with [faulty ignition switches, GM was fined $35 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation last week. Just today, the company reported that it has only fixed 45,000 of the faulty switches, and estimates that it will only have about half of the replacement switches needed by August, according to USA Today.

At Morgan & Morgan, our attorneys continue to review potential claims on behalf of drivers who were injured because of a defect in a GM vehicle. These drivers may be able to file personal injury lawsuits against GM. If you or a loved one was injured because of an ignition switch problem or steering issue in a GM vehicle, contact us today for a free consultation.