Doh! GM recalls 857,735 vehicles for electrical issue
In the ongoing quest to make our cars more user-friendly, automakers have been adding more and more techno-goodies to make our lives just a bit easier, as well. Unfortunately, these features occasionally do the exact opposite as electrical gremlins take control and make them malfunction. Such is the case with a 857,735 vehicles from General Motors built between 2006 and 2008 that are equipped with heated windshield washer fluid. Apparently, the system is liable to short out, causing it to stop working and even smoke, give off an odor, and make other on-board electronic systems go haywire. To remedy the problem, dealers will add a new wiring harness with an in-line fuse, which will short out before the problematic printed electrical circuit does the same. We've pasted a list of all the affected vehicles after the break.[Source: NHTSA via Good Car Bad Car]
Recall Summary
Make / Models : Model/Build Years:
BUICK / ENCLAVE 2008
BUICK / LUCERNE 2006-2008
CADILLAC / DTS 2006-2008
CADILLAC / ESCALADE 2007-2008
CADILLAC / ESCALADE ESV 2007-2008
CADILLAC / ESCALADE EXT 2007-2008
CHEVROLET / AVALANCHE 2007-2008
CHEVROLET / SILVERADO 2007-2008
CHEVROLET / SUBURBAN 2007-2008
CHEVROLET / TAHOE 2007-2008
GMC / ACADIA 2007-2008
GMC / SIERRA 2007-2008
GMC / YUKON 2007-2008
GMC / YUKON XL 2007-2008
HUMMER / H2 2006-2008
SATURN / OUTLOOK 2007-2008
Recall Number: 08V441000
Summary:
GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.
Consequence:
THIS MAY CAUSE OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES TO MALFUNCTION, CREATE AN ODOR, OR CAUSE SMOKE INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT YET PROVIDED AN OWNER NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR AT MYGMLINK, HTTP://WWW.GM.COM/RECALL.
Notes:
GM RECALL NO. 08048. CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION;S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
stevereportdotcom 1:05PM (8/29/2008)
Doesn't seem like such a big deal.
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cibrlx01 1:27PM (8/29/2008)
Replacing the wiring harness usually means the engine has to come out. Sounds like a big deal to me.
KeatMP 1:39PM (8/29/2008)
haha...taking out the engine to replace a little harness... What are you smoking?
AkulaX1 1:05PM (8/29/2008)
Here comes the hate mail. When any other none American manufacture recalls its ok at least they are doing their job to fix the problem but when American manufacture recalls then its garbage. Common people.... let the hate begin.
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tankd0g 1:27PM (8/29/2008)
Can I get you a t-shirt for your straw man?
Stumpy 1:08PM (8/29/2008)
Shows how much I know, I did not even know there was such thing as "heated windshield washer fluid".
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mayflyripper 1:14PM (8/29/2008)
Funnier still that this recall includes approximately 100 000 vehicles in Canada, Mexico and the Middle East. Consider me puzzled as to why Mexico and the Middle East markets would even need a heated washer fluid system.
Kotse 1:09PM (8/29/2008)
"GM recalls 857,735 vehicles for electrical issue.."
Hello, Volt!
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SPG 1:39PM (8/29/2008)
That was my first thought as well.
P.S. I love Toonces the driving cat.
Shiftright 1:16PM (8/29/2008)
Uh, I thought windshield washer fluid at freezing point of -145º or so. Why does it have to be heated? Illustrates my position that modern cars have a lot of needless gee gaws that just add weight and complexity, and become one more thing to break when the car hits 80k, or in this case maybe 20k.
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tankd0g 1:27PM (8/29/2008)
For people who are stupid enough to use summer fluid or water in the winter I guess. Unfortunately, the engineers that came up with this are no smarter, because heated fluid freezes faster when it hits a cold windshield than ambient temperature fluid would AND if it's hot enough it will actually crack a windshield that has a rock chip in it. Canadian tire sells this as an aftermarket kit, I've seen it in action, it's probably the most returned item in their automotive dept.
Blar 1:41PM (8/29/2008)
tankd0g: care to elaborate on how warmer fluid freezes faster than cooler fluid when exposed to the same cold windshield?
Definately agree about hot fluid and cracks, hopefully the fluid is only warmed, perhaps just to some delta T above ambient.
fredbblakemore 1:38PM (8/29/2008)
The freezing point of washer fluid isn't the reason for this feature. The heated washer fluid does a fantastic job melting ice and snow that builds up on a windshield in the winter. I happen to find this very useful when parking outside in the winter. Instead of scraping the windshield in the freezing cold and covering my shoes in snow, I just give it a nice blast of heated washer fluid from the comfort of the car and I'm on my way. Anyone who lives in a cold-weather climate can certainly appreciate this feature....assuming it works as intended and doesn't turn your car into a pile of ashes. Oh, and It's also better at removing bug guts.
Judyz 3:23PM (8/29/2008)
-145 degrees????? Wow that must come in handy during the month of darkness at the North Pole. Back here in the real world premium washer fluid is only good for -45C and anyone who drives in Canadian winters knows that stuff is still quite capable of freezing on your windshield. I do prefer low tech solutions though. I remember my old Mitsubishi had a split reservoir for the wiper fluid on one side and the coolant overflow on the other. After a bit of driving the wiper fluid would become heated. It was a thoroughly elegant design that didn't require any extra heaters or wires.
dever 12:50AM (8/30/2008)
@ Blar:
I'm not sure if tankd0g was referring to what is known as the Mpemba effect, but this is the means by which hot water can freeze faster than colder water. I'm not sure if this also applies to a mixture of fluids that makes up windshield washer fluid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect
tankd0g 1:27PM (8/29/2008)
The solution should be to permanently disable that "feature", heated washer fluid is a BAD IDEA.
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I.Adam 1:25PM (8/29/2008)
but new inventions cannot be thrown away because of this.
______________
http://urevi.com/
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youth driver 1:32PM (8/29/2008)
If this is the most serious problem facing GM's cars then I would have to say GM is on the right track. This really is one of the least serious recalls I've seen in a while.
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MemphisNET 1:39PM (8/29/2008)
+1
John Johnson 1:33PM (8/29/2008)
"To remedy the problem, dealers will add a new wiring harness with an in-line fuse, which will short out before the problematic printed electrical circuit does the same."
Shorted fuses do no good. The fuse will pop open, not short :).
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