General Motors China joint venture is recalling 1.46 million cars due to a defect with the fuel pump brackets, in what is being said as one of the largest safety recalls in the world’s biggest auto market.
The affected cars are made locally by Shanghai General Motors Co Ltd, GM’s venture with SAIC Motor Corp in China. GM stated on Friday the bracket may crack after long-term use and in extreme cases could lead to fuel leaks. The recall, which was announced on Friday by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, affects the two most popular models in China- the Buick Excelle compact car and the Chevrolet Sail subcompact.
More than 1.2 million Excelle made between the years 2006 and 2011 and more than 240,000 Sail cars built between the years 2009 and 2011 have been recalled.
“GM has warned that the affected component might crack after long use and lead to fuel leakage, but in real life it doesn’t appear to have happened,” Yale Zhang, head of Shanghai-based consulting firm Automotive Foresight, said.
“There are so many recalls these days, and some automakers call back products proactively more as a precaution,” Zhang said. “In this case, the recall shouldn’t affect GM’s reputation in China that much.”