Chevrolet Captiva Recalled Over Fire Risk
If Chevrolet isn’t careful they may start to be known as the “Burning Bow-Tie Brand” to some of their customers.
General Motors is recalling 15,627 Chevrolet Captiva crossovers from the 2011-12 model years because there is a chance the cars may catch fire on the road. The issue stems from power steering fluid overheating under certain conditions, leading to an engine compartment fire according to the company.
Thus far, there haven’t been any fires reported by consumers, though 3,150 of the vehicles included in the recall were distributed as rental cars in the U.S., meaning there is a good chance such a problem might rear its head given the heavy use those vehicles experience. The key message: don’t go hooning in a Captiva, not that many people would. Fires are only likely if drivers leave the transmission in first gear under manual mode for a prolonged time, causing the overheating.
It’s been a tough year for Chevy and fires. Earlier this year the NHTSA found that in some cases after a severe crash the Volt could spontaneously combust. The problem occurred after coolant around the lithium ion battery leaked and crystallized on the battery itself, causing a short circuit. General Motors offered to buy Volts back from any customer requesting such action.
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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I work in safety communications at GM and take issue with the description of "spontaneously combust" regarding the Chevrolet Volt. The post crash test fire occurred THREE WEEKS after the crash test.
rented a 2012 captiva from Hertz in Dec 2011. got into minor accident hitting van in front with left front corner. hood crumpled on that side,etc. now Hertz wants to total it. Speed at impact 15-20 mph. Is the car built that fragile that it could not be fixed?