General Motors has issued a voluntary recall of more than 200,000 Cadillac XTS and Chevrolet Impala sedans due to elevated risk of fire from faulty parking brakes.
GM identified a defect in the parking brakes of more than 200,000 of its luxury sedans and has promised a fix. The car maker recalled the affected models, 2013-2015 Cadillac XTS and the 2014-2015 Chevrolet Impala, over the weekend, citing elevated fire risk due to a parking brake defect. According to the letter dated Sept. 19 to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) obtained by Reuters, both models will receive a software update as a part of the fix.
General Motors explained the problem was with the brake indicator light that failed to illuminate while the brake was not fully retracted.
"If the vehicle is operated for an extended period of time in this condition, there is a potential for the rear brakes to generate significant heat, smoke and sparks," the NHTSA said, according to Reuters. "Brake pads that remain partially engaged with the rotors may cause excessive brake heat that may result in a fire."
GM is not aware of any incidents of fire or accidents related to the problem. But that hasn't gotten the car maker off the grid, as it is under a close watch by U.S. regulators after a massive mishap involving millions of small cars with faulty ignition switches. The company has recalled nearly 15 million vehicles due to faulty ignition switches, which have been linked to 19 deaths.
GM will start notifying owners of affected vehicles starting this month and an update to the electronic parking brake software will permanently fix the problem, according to media reports. The repair will be done free of charge to the customers.
In an earlier report this month, GM also halted sales of its two-door Chevrolet Corvette citing airbag and parking brake issues. The effort was partly because the car maker did not want buyers to get their hands on a faulty vehicle, as Corvettes are important to the company's brand value.