Nearly 70,000 Cars Added to GM Power Steering Recall

General Motors (GM) has recently settled the second largest auto defect lawsuit in history, after negotiating with a specialized consumers rights law firm.

This lawsuit alleged GM had deliberately concealed the problems with its power steering vehicles for quite some time, affecting millions of consumers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the GM power steering recall has recently expanded to 1.3 million cars.

This is 69,633 more vehicles than the GM airbag recall in March 2014, which affected 1.2 million vehicles with defective side impact airbags.

The affected vehicles with the airbag defects were allegedly sold with defective wiring harnesses, which caused them not to inflate during a collision.

With the addition of 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Malibu, Malibu Maxx, and Pontiac G6 models built between April and June 2006 included in the 2016 GM power steering recall, General Motors is facing further scandal for alleged lack of safety features.

More specifically, the GM power steering recall addresses the potential safety defects of over 1.3 million older GM and GM branded vehicles that were sold between 2003 and 2010.

This safety defect reportedly causes the vehicles’ electric power steering to suddenly fail during typical driving conditions and revert to manual steering. This requires to drivers to be vigilant for the sudden shift and increases the risks of vehicular accidents.

Overview of General Motors Vehicle Safety Defects

There was a previous GM power steering recall pertaining to Saturn Ion, Saturn Aura, Chevy HHR and Chevy Cobalt, each of which electric power steering (EPS) could allegedly fail at any time while driving.

Depending on the car model, General Motors would either replace the EPS motors, the EPS motor controllers or the torque sensors.

The latest GM power steering recall pertains to the torque sensor, with dealers promising to replace the components at some point in the future with new sliver plated sensors that have “harder, thicker contact.”

This is the third recall by General Motors since the beginning of the year, with other recalls pertaining to faulty Goodyear tires that cracked on 2015 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Chevrolet Traverse.

Another GM recall occurred due to faulty toe links that could reportedly separate in certain 2015 Corvettes.

Due to the consumers being unaware of these safety defects for years, many of them have filed legal action against General Motors. The law firm involved in reaching the settlement with General Motors alleges the company knew about this risk for years.

In addition GM’s delayed response may have caused numerous vehicle collisions.

If you own one or more of the above mentioned GM vehicles, you may be able file legal action. Potential claimants should contact a specialized lawyer to determine their eligibility for a GM auto defect lawsuit.