GM Recalls 5,000 Heavy-Duty Vans

General Motors Corp. issued a safety recall and a stop sale of about 5,000 heavy-duty 2010 GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express passenger and cargo vans, according to a statement released this weekend. The safety recall is the result of a suspected faulty alternator, which poses a serious fire risk in affected models. The stop sale and recall will be in affect until a fix is determined.

“The Stop Sale and production halt are measures being taken to assure customer safety until we have a repair procedure,” said Jeff Boyer, executive director of Safety and Interiors for GM.

The affected vehicles fall in these ranges of VINs:

Year - Division - Model - From - Through
2010 - Chevrolet Express - 2500/3500 - A1129327 - A1142523
2010 - GMC Savana - 2500/3500 - A1128784 - A1901915

The recall affects the 2500 (three-quarter ton) and 3500/4500 (one-ton) series Savana and Express vans. Light-duty series vans are exempt from the recall and stop-sale as they use a different alternator.

Relatively few of these heavy-duty series vans are in retail customer possession, as most reside in rental and other fleets. The stop-sale issued on Friday prevents the vans from being rented from fleets or sold from dealer lots.

Express and Savana owners are urged to immediately stop driving the vehicles, park them outside away from buildings, structures and other vehicles, and, if possible, disconnect the battery cables. As the vans pose a serious fire risk at this point, owners should use extreme caution while in and around the vehicles and should keep them parked until the alternator fix has been determined.

AC Delco Alternators Affected

The recall also affects about 1,400 AC Delco aftermarket parts. Affected parts numbers are: 15200110, 15288861, 15263859 and 15847291. Customers who have had a heavy duty alternator replaced in February or March in a model year 2005-2010 Express or Savana or other model year 2005-2009 GM truck or SUV should check their repair order receipts to see if an affected part was used and, if so, stop driving their vehicle, park it away from other vehicles and buildings, and disconnect the battery cables.

Owners of vehicles affected by aftermarket alternators are asked to contact their Customer Assistance Center to provide contact information, so GM may follow up with them when more information becomes available.