Posts Tagged ‘Pontiac’
Pontiac Vibe Recall Tied to Faulty Accelerator
Monday, February 1st, 2010
It seems that Toyota is not the only automaker having trouble with its accelerators. Now a new recall affecting Pontiac has gone into effect:
Model-year 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles are being recalled because of the risk that the accelerator pedal may malfunction.
This recall is related to the Toyota accelerator pedal recall. The Vibe, essentially the same vehicle as the Toyota Matrix, was the product of a joint venture between GM and Toyota until GM ended it last summer. GM is no longer building the Vibe. No more than 26 new Vibes remain in Pontiac dealerships, a GM representative told Dow Jones Newswires. Sales of the vehicles have been suspended.
Toyota will be handling the Vibe recall, Dow Jones reported.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site, the recall is related to how the friction lever interacts with the sliding surface of the accelerator pedal inside the pedal sensor assembly. The sliding surface of the lever has the potential to become smooth during vehicle operation. In this condition, any condensation that may form on the surface – which can occur while the heater is operating (without AC) and the pedal assembly is cold — can lead to greater friction when the accelerator pedal is engaged. This can result in the accelerator pedal becoming harder to depress, slower to return to idle or, in the worst case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position.
Photo courtesy of resedabear under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Dow Jones Newswire, GM, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Pontiac, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota, Toyota Matrix, Toyota recall, Vibe recall
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GM Recalls Over 10,000 Pontiac Vibes
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
General Motors is recalling 10,119 MY 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with a 1.8L engine and originally sold in, or currently registered in, a state that can have freezing temperatures during winter.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the intake manifold suction port for the brake vacuum can lock up during extremely cold conditions. This can occur because of the freezing of condensation resulting from positive crankcase ventilation. This could lead to an increase in vehicle stopping distance, raising the risk of a collision.
Dealers will modify the brake vacuum line free of charge. The recall involves vehicles from the following states: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming. A special coverage for vehicles registered in all other states will be implemented in the same time frame, NHTSA said.
The safety recall is expected to begin on or before Oct. 23. Vehicle owners can reach Pontiac at (800) 620-7668.
Photo courtesy of resedabear under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: General Motors, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Pontiac, Pontiac Vibe
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GM Pulls Plug on Saturn
Monday, October 5th, 2009
Saturn, GM’s brand of small cars once billed as a new and different kind of car company, is next in line for the chopping block after the demise of Pontiac and Oldsmobile.
GM reached a tentative agreement to sell the Saturn brand to former race car driver and auto magnate Roger Penske in June. But Wednesday, Penske Automotive Group Inc. announced that it is walking away from the deal due to an inability to find a manufacturer to make the cars after GM ceases production of new Saturn models at the end of 2011. GM followed Penske’s announcement with their own, saying that the automaker would simply close down the brand.
The Saturn brand was set up in 1990 to combat the growing popularity of Japanese imports. Now the owners and employees of Saturn dealers nationwide are frantically looking for ways to remain in business and save approximately 13,000 jobs.
“I find this hard to believe,” said Carl Galeana, owner of two Saturn dealerships in suburban Detroit. “Everyone’s been saying we’re right at the goal line.”
The deal between Penske and GM collapsed Wednesday, after an unidentified manufacturer told Penske that its board had rejected a deal to make new Saturn vehicles. GM had agreed to continue making 3 Saturn models after 2011, but all new vehicles would be Penske’s responsibility.
Penske spokesman Anthony Pordon said there is little if any chance that the talks could be reopened. Without another supplier in place before the deal was signed, Penske couldn’t run the risk of taking on Saturn, Pordon said.
GM will stop making Saturns as soon as possible, but no layoffs are expected, said spokeswoman Sherrie Childers Arb. “Those plants produce products for other brands, and we think we can increase volume on those products that will meet market demand,” Childers Arb said.
Galeana said he’s heard nothing yet from GM or Saturn, but if the plan is to phase out the brand and cut the products, he’ll have to come up with other options.
“I assumed if you’re at the goal line, those things would have been figured out,” he said Wednesday. “We’re going to try to put some plan Bs in place at this point.”
Galeana said he’s concerned for his employees and still hopes the deal can be resurrected.
“It’s tough out there, but we’ll keep fighting. That’s all we can do.”
Photo courtesy of multitrack under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: GM, Oldsmobile, Penske, Penske Automotive Group Inc, Pontiac, Roger Penske, Saturn
Posted in Industry News | 2 Comments »
Minivans Rule Used-Vehicle Market for May
Monday, June 8th, 2009
Their affordability and utility are not just for moms
Sales within the used-vehicle market flattened out through May with car values depreciating 0.8 percent overall. Just five of Kelley Blue Book’s 20 segments continued to appreciate. Among them, minivans were the biggest gainer at 2 percent appreciation, according to Vehicleremarket.com.
It was reported that Kelley Blue Book expects sales on hybrid vehicles, subcompacts, and compact crossovers to peak or depreciate in coming months.
Strong mid-size and full-size Fords such as the Fusion and Five-Hundred contributed to a 0.1 percent segment gain.
Full-size Fords performed well, however, the Chrysler 300 dropped 4.5 percent and the Pontiac G8 sank 4.0 percent, slightly dragging the category down 1.0 percent.
Truck segments appeared stable with pickup trucks sales flat, crossovers down 0.8 percent, SUVs increased 0.6 percent, and vans up 0.9 percent.
The mid- and full-size SUV segment was up .4 and 1.7 percent in May, respectively.
Crossover values dropped 0.8 percent because of declines in its compact, luxury, and hybrid lines.
Minivans improved 2 percent, which was more than any other segment during May. The article summed up the sales lift by saying “The relative affordability and utility offered by minivans are the main drivers providing lift in this segment…and it is difficult to beat the value offered by minivans, especially when cross shopping against more expensive crossovers and SUVs.”
Top minivans performers were the Dodge Caravan, Chevrolet Uplander, and Nissan Quest.
Check out the value of your fleet vehicles at Kelley Blue Book
Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet Uplander, Chrysler, Chrysler 300, Dodge, Dodge caravan, Ford, Ford Five-hundred, Ford Fusion, hybrid, Kelley Blue Book, Minivan, Nissan, Nissan Quest, Pontiac, Pontiac G8, subcompacts, SUV, used-vehicle, vehicleremarket.com
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R.I.P. Pontiac
Monday, April 27th, 2009
GM Slashing 23,000 Jobs, Entire Brand
To avoid bankruptcy, General Motors confirmed today that it will cut 23,000 U.S. factory jobs as well as its 83-year-old Pontiac line by next year, according to CNNMoney.com.
The move will take GM down from 47 factories to 34 by the end of next year, to allow for a government mandated restructuring and much-needed focus on its core brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac.
The article quoted Kevin Smith, editorial director for Edmunds.com as saying, “There was a time, a long way back now, when you knew exactly what Pontiac stood for. Pontiac’s lack of focus as a brand may finally have brought its demise. That’s just death in a marketplace where there’s so much competition and so much quality,” he said.
Once hailed as GM’s “Excitement Division,” the brand with long-gone glorified models — like the 60’s Tempest GTO and late 60’s and 70’s Firebird Trans Am — added decades of gas-guzzling muscle, machismo and, yes, mustaches to America’s roads.
Now with GM backed into a corner and ready to slash 40% of its dealer network, a proposed $27 billion bondholder debt-for-stock swap on a table, and no clear hero to save the day or the industry, one has to wonder: What would The Bandit do? And could he do it in a Buick?
Tags: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, CNN, Edmunds.com, General Motors, GMC, Pontiac
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