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Deja Vu All Over Again: GM Recalling 1.4M Cars; Oil Leaks Can Cause Engine Fires

October 27, 2015 / 7:09 AM EDT / CBS Detroit

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) - For the third time in eight years, General Motors is recalling cars that can leak oil and catch fire, sometimes damaging garages and houses.

The recall, which covers 1.4 million vehicles dating to the 1997 model year, is needed because repairs from the first two didn't work. More than 1,300 cars caught fire after they were fixed by dealers, the company said.

In the previous recalls in 2008 and 2009, GM told owners to park the cars outside until repairs can be made since most of the fires happened shortly after drivers turned off the engines. A spokesman was checking to see if the same recommendation applies this time.

GM reports at least 19 minor injuries from the blazes, which have persisted since U.S. safety regulators first noticed them early in 2007. In 2008, a GM spokeswoman said the cars were responsible for 267 fires over the years, including at least 17 that burned structures.

The latest recall, mainly in North America, includes the 1997-2004 Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Regal, the 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, the 1998 and 1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, and the 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. All have 3.8-liter V6 engines.

Over time, a valve cover gasket can degrade, allowing oil to seep out. Under hard braking, oil drops can fall onto the exhaust manifold and catch fire. Flames can spread to a plastic spark plug wire channel and the rest of the engine.
The problem first surfaced in 2007 when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found 21 consumer complaints about engine fires in in some of the cars and began investigating. The probe found three injuries. Most of the blazes happened five to 15 minutes after the engines were turned off, according to agency documents.

The investigation led to the recall in March of 2008 of more than 200,000 U.S. cars with supercharged engines. A year later GM recalled almost 1.5 million more cars that weren't supercharged. Dealers replaced the spark plug wire channels but documents filed with the government don't mention any repair of the oil leaks.

GM announced the recall Tuesday but still hasn't come up with a final fix, spokesman Alan Adler said. GM will use state registration databases in an effort to track down the owners, he said.

The recall is so large that it could have an impact on GM's fourth-quarter earnings, although Adler said that hasn't been determined. "Since we have not decided on the remedy, we do not know whether the cost will result in a material charge to earnings," he said.