The defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 1,497,516 MY 1997-2003 BUICK REGAL, MY 1998-2003 CHEVROLET LUMINA, MONTE CARLO AND IMPALA, MY 1998-1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE, MY 1997-2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.8L V6 NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINE. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH DROPS OF ENGINE OIL MAY BE DEPOSITED ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD THROUGH HARD BRAKING.
The risk
IF THE MANIFOLD IS HOT ENOUGH AND THE OIL RUNS BELOW THE HEAT SHIELD, IT MAY IGNITE INTO A SMALL FLAME AND MAY SPREAD TO THE PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE CHANNEL AND BEYOND INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINES FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINES PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2016. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM OR HTTP:WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Buick Regal | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| Chevrolet Impala | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| Chevrolet Lumina | 1998, 1999 |
| Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| Oldsmobile Intrigue | 1998, 1999 |
| Pontiac Grand Prix | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
Other engine and engine cooling recalls in 2009
37 of the 491 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2009 concerned the engine and engine cooling; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 09V499000 30 Dec 2009 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| 09V482000 17 Dec 2009 | SUTPHEN CORPORATION |
| 09V473000 14 Dec 2009 | BOMBARDIER RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS INC. |
| 09V471000 10 Dec 2009 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| 09V466000 3 Dec 2009 | SEAGRAVE FIRE APPARATUS, LLC |
| 09V464000 2 Dec 2009 | KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP., U.S.A. |
| 09V459000 1 Dec 2009 | NEWELL COACH CORP. |
| 09V455000 30 Nov 2009 | SPARTAN CHASSIS, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2009