GM to recall over 26,000 vehicles from Saudi Arabia

General Motors Co. Middle East will recall 26,637 vehicles from the local market for defects described to be different from the ones that appeared in the vehicles sold in the North American markets, Al-Eqtisadiya daily reported on Saturday.

The vehicles to be recalled are 18,200 GMC Acadia (model 2008-2013) and Chevrolet Traverse (2009-2013) for air bag inspection and possible replacements, 367 Cadillac XTS (model 2013-2014) for brake system problems, 5,570 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana (model 2009-2014) for dashboard replacement, 2,500 Pickup Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra (model 2014) for checking gearbox oil.

In a statement, the company said it had made these recalls to ensure customer safety and satisfaction. The company’s agents have already started calling the owners of vehicles to repair defects free-of-charge.

Last week, General Motors announced its second massive recall in two months, calling back 1.5 million vehicles of various models to fix problems a range of safety-related problems.

Last month GM announced the recall of 1.6 million cars due to an ignition problem that led to a number of deadly crashes dating back a decade. GM said that when the ignition switch was jostled, a key could turn off the car’s engine and disable airbags, sometimes while traveling at high speed.

GM will also take a $300 million charge primarily to cover the costs related to the faulty ignition switches linked to at least 12 deaths as well as three more recalls it announced on Monday.

The No. 1 US automaker, which will take the charge in the first quarter, did not provide a breakdown of how much was related to the ignition-switch recall. While there were reports of engine compartment fires in two dealer-owned Cadillac XTS sedans, the company said it has received no reports of accidents or injuries related to the three new recalls.

On Friday, the Detroit automaker was hit with what appeared to be the first lawsuit related to the ignition-switch recall, as customers claimed their vehicles lost value because of the ignition switch problems. The proposed class action was filed in a Texas federal court.

“I asked our team to redouble our efforts on our pending product reviews, bring them forward and resolve them quickly,” GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said in a statement. “That is what today’s GM is all about.”

She previously apologized for how GM handled the ignition switch recall and said the company would take an “unvarnished” look at the process while making customer safety and satisfaction the top priority.

“We are conducting an intense review of our internal processes and will have more developments to announce as we move forward,” Barra said on Monday.

The ignition-switch recall has led to government criminal and civil investigations.

This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on April 6, 2014