The defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 276,729 MY 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE, CHEVROLET COBALT, HHR, MALIBU, TRAVERSE, GMC ACADIA, PONTIAC G5, G6 AND SATURN AURA AND OUTLOOK PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT POSITION SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT", AND FMVSS 114, "THEFT PROTECTION AND ROLLAWAY PREVENTION". ON SOME OF THESE VEHICLES, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP MAY NOT BE FULLY ENGAGED. IF THE CLIP IS NOT FULLY ENGAGED, THE SHIFT LEVER AND THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE TRANSMISSION GEAR MAY NOT MATCH. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE DRIVE COULD MOVE THE SHIFTER TO "PARK" AND REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY, BUT THE TRANSMISSION GEAR MAY NOT BE IN "PARK".
The risk
THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AWAY AFTER THE DRIVER HAS EXITED THE VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND ENSURE THAT THE SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP IS FULLY ENGAGED. IN THE EVENT THAT THE CLIP DOES NOT ENGAGE, THE SHIFT CABLE WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 24, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Buick Enclave | 2009 |
| Chevrolet Cobalt | 2009 |
| Chevrolet HHR | 2009 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 2009 |
| Chevrolet Traverse | 2009 |
| GMC Acadia | 2009 |
| Pontiac G5 | 2009 |
| Pontiac G6 | 2009 |
| Saturn Aura | 2009 |
| Saturn Outlook | 2009 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buick Enclave | 2009 | 220 | 8 |
| Chevrolet Cobalt | 2009 | 710 | 5 |
| Chevrolet HHR | 2009 | 508 | 4 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 2009 | 1,509 | 5 |
| Chevrolet Traverse | 2009 | 448 | 8 |
| GMC Acadia | 2009 | 331 | 7 |
| Pontiac G5 | 2009 | 76 | 5 |
| Pontiac G6 | 2009 | 713 | 4 |
| Saturn Aura | 2009 | 390 | 4 |
| Saturn Outlook | 2009 | 192 | 7 |
Other power train recalls in 2009
20 of the 491 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2009 concerned the power train; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 09V430000 27 Nov 2009 | DUTCHMEN MANUFACTURING, INC. |
| 09V436000 5 Nov 2009 | CHRYSLER LLC |
| 09V415000 21 Oct 2009 | PACCAR INCORPORATED |
| 09V333000 20 Aug 2009 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC |
| 09V240000 30 Jun 2009 | MACK TRUCKS, INC |
| 09V235000 25 Jun 2009 | CLASSIC MOTORWORKS LIMITED, USA |
| 09V229000 18 Jun 2009 | PACCAR INCORPORATED |
| 09V228000 18 Jun 2009 | KEYSTONE RV COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2009