Warren, MI — December 14, 2015 — Earlier this year, General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) noted the engine compartment fire risk in certain units, including Buick Regal, Chevrolet Impala and Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles with model years between 1997 and 2004. In these cars, hard braking could result in oil landing on the exhaust manifold.
The Part 573 Safety Recall Report associated with this action described said that dealers could replace the engine valve front cover and gasket, as well as remove the oil fill tube extension. The report also stated that previous repairs related to the GM recalls may not be enough to resolve the condition entirely.
The official safety recall itself is set to begin on December 14, and the NHTSA also features a message from GM Customer Care and Aftersales to all of the manufacturer’s dealers. Instead of announcing the shipment of the replacement parts themselves, the company said that advisory letters are in the mail and will set the stage for improvements once the parts are available.
“Even though the parts needed to repair these vehicles are not currently available, the letter explains that when parts are available, their dealer will replace the engine’s front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design, and the engine’s plastic “beauty” cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension will be removed, if they haven’t been already,” this bulletin reads.
The recall stems from actions as old as 2008, in which the company issued the original recall. More than 1 million vehicles were said to be involved, with 100 percent estimated to have the defect.