GM To Recall Over 500,000 Chevrolet Camaro Models Affected By Ignition Switch Defect

Two days after The Inquisitr had reported about Toyota recalling a staggering 2.3 million vehicles in order to fix an airbag defect, we now have its arch rival General Motors (GM) doing something similar. At the center of the recall fiasco is GM’s popular car, the Chevrolet Camaro.

According to Reuters, GM would be recalling a total of 511,508 Chevrolet Camaro cars, most of them in the United States to correct an issue with its ignition switch.

According to GM, all Chevrolet Camaro models being recalled have an issue with its ignition switch wherein the driver’s knee could bump the key fob and move the ignition switch towards the off position and thereby causing the engine to shut off. This could cause loss of power steering and even failure of airbags to deploy in the eventuality of a crash. Note that this includes all the Chevrolet Camaro cars that General Motors have manufactured since they relaunched the car in 2010. The company adds that the issue has been linked to three crashes that caused minor injuries to four people.

According to USA Today, the reason for the latest recall of the Chevrolet Camaro could be partly linked to GM’s earlier recall of over 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalts and a few other old cars. These vehicles too had issue with bad ignition switches. It was after this massive recall that GM decided to check if other cars made by them could also face a similar issue. It was eventually found that the Camaro exhibited the same problem when drivers were sitting quite close to the steering wheel.

As for the solution to this problem, the recalled cars would be fitted with a new assembly that would separate the key from the fob that opens the doors and trunks. Meanwhile the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the authority responsible for overseeing safety recalls, have not yet posted any notice pertaining to this latest recall. However, in the past they have received several complaints from users who did talk about this issue affecting their Chevrolet Camaro.

“Discovering and acting on this issue quickly is an example of the new norm for product safety at GM,” said Jeff Boyer, vice president of GM Global Safety.”

The Reuters report adds that of all the vehicles being recalled, 464,712 are in the United States and the rest are outside the country. It is unclear at this stage as to how those cars in other countries would have the problem fixed.

Are you a Chevrolet Camaro user? If yes, you might soon receive a notification from GM to get your car to a dealer to have the problem fixed.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]