Kyle Johnson
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Latest GM Recall: 490K Trucks and SUVs, 172K Cruzes

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The latest recall of a combined 662,000 GM-made vehicle brings the total number of vehicles recalled in March to 4.8 million.

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The 2014 Chevy Silverado is one of the latest models to be recalled by GM in March.

To General Motors, vehicle recalls for safety-related issues may well be the equivalent of Pringles: “Once you pop, you can’t stop.” Except in this case, their reward is not the salty goodness of potato chips, but rather the confidence that the survival of their empire may well depend on how they handle the mess that have made for themselves (Pringles, as you well know, don’t leave a greasy mess).

On Friday night, General Motors followed up the announcement that they would recall the remaining 824,000 Chevy Cobalts, Saturn Ions, and Pontiac G5s not previously accounted for in the ignition switch recall by recalling another 662,000 trucks, SUVs, and Cruzes.

According to Automotive News, this latest GM recall concerns 490,000 2014 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups and 2015 Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL SUVs. The models are being recalled due to a potential transmission line like that could result in a fire. Somewhere in Anaheim, California, a relieved couple is reading about this latest recall and saying, “Gee, ya think?”

As expected, GM is also recalling 172,000 turbocharged 2013-2014 Cruze models in order to replace a right front axle half shaft that can fracture and separate without warning during normal driving. This—and feel free to sing it with me here; you know the words—could result in an increased risk of crashes and injuries.

The stop-sale order issued by GM on Thursday will cease and Cruze sales will resume once dealers can inspect the vehicles’ half shaft and make the repairs necessary. For any other automaker, a mandatory cease-sale order that takes your best-selling model out of showrooms for a matter of days sounds disastrous. For GM, it’s just another day in March.

This latest GM recall brings the total number to 4.8 million units called back in March. While the seemingly incessant barrage of recalls cannot be deemed a good thing for public perception, the moves definitely coincide with General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra’s pledge to “redouble” efforts after her company’s vehicles were found to be at least partially responsible for the deaths of no fewer than 12 people.