Posted on Jun 16, 2012

Two separate recalls on popular American car models were issued in the past month. First, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the voluntary recall of over 67,000 2010 Jeep Wranglers due to the recognition of a problem with the vehicle’s transmission skid plate, which has proven capable of collecting debris. This part of the vehicle is dangerously close to the engine’s catalytic converter and presents the possibility of the debris being ignited once it accumulates. Few instances of this have occurred, but enough to arouse Jeep’s concern. Jeep’s parent company, Chrysler, is stressing that the problem is present only in Wranglers with automatic transmissions and that those with manual transmissions should not worry. The recall is being issued this month and Jeep has said that a plan is in place to correct the error and replace the faulted part.

GM announced the recall of over 4,300 2013 Chevy Malibu’s due to a potential problem with the sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) that is reportedly prone to release the vehicle’s roof rail airbag should the car take a turn too sharply. The SDM is part of the vehicle’s safety system designed to monitor the vehicle’s changes in motion and trajectory and engage its various safety features. GM has fully acknowledged the problem, stresses that the problem is strictly a software malfunction, issued the voluntary recall, and has a system in place to correct the faulty software at no cost to the cars’ owners.