Two years after General Motors (GM) first learned of a rollaway hazard in its Saturn Aura sedans, the company is only now issuing a recall of more than 56,000 cars.
In a report posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, GM said it is recalling 56,214 mid-size Saturn Aura cars due to a problem with the automatic transmission shift levers that can show the wrong gear. This is due to a faulty transmission shift cable, which GM says can fracture anytime.
"When the fracture occurs, the driver may not be able to select a different gear, remove the key from the ignition or place the transmission in park. If the driver cannot place the vehicle in park, and exits the vehicle without applying the park brake, the vehicle could roll away and a crash could occur without prior warning," wrote [pdf] M. Carmen Benavides, GM director of field product investigations and evaluations in the report.
GM said it will also notify owners and replace the cable and mounting bracket for free.
The recall affects Saturn Aura models with 4-speed automatic transmission and released in 2007 to 2008. The company stopped making Saturn Auras in 2009 when it filed for bankruptcy.
In a news release, GM said it is currently aware of 28 crashes and four injuries that have happened in the last seven years due to the Saturn's cable problem. No deaths have been reported.
Although the company said it has been aware of the problem in the last two years, it did not recall the vehicles because it already issued a special 10-year, 120,000-mile warranty for Aura owners. However, drivers had first to experience problems with their shifters before the coverage can take effect. As per GM, drivers are able to feel changes in the gear selector, allowing them to notify GM for a repair.
"We decided to recall because the terms of the Special Coverage were beginning to expire as the vehicles aged and changed owners. And customer complaints continued even after Special Coverage was in effect," says GM spokesperson Alan Adler.
GM is already in hot water over another delayed recall of more than 2.6 million sports and compact cars in February due to a deadly ignition problem that the company has been aware of more than a decade before the recall. GM claims it knows of 13 people who died in crashes caused by the faulty ignition, but trial lawyers have filed at least 53 wrongful death lawsuits against GM in US courts.
The company also made another major recall of around 426,000 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 cars as well 2007-2010 Aura models in 2012. Investigators are questioning why GM did not include the 2007-2008 Saturn Auras in the previous recall since it was due to a similar transmission cable problem.
General Motors has recalled around 4.8 million cars and trucks since the beginning of 2014.
