General Motors Co. (IW 500/4) is recalling more than 426,000 Saturn, Chevrolet and Pontiac sedans in the United States to fix a transmission problem that could allow the cars to move when in "park," U.S. automotive-safety officials announced Friday.
GM told the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration that tabs on the transmission cable in the cars can fracture and separate.
If that happens, "the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match," according to GM. "The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'park' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'park'."
That could lead to the vehicle rolling away and crashing after the driver has exited the car, the automaker said.
The recall affects 2007-2010 Saturn Auras and 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibus and Pontiac G6s that come with four-speed automatic transmission.
GM said it will repair or replace the shift cables for free.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012
