GM Daewoo recalls more than 58,000 vehicles

Seoul : GM Daewoo, the South Korean subsidiary of US car giant General Motors, yesterday recalled more than 58,000 vehicles because of defects, in the latest blow to Asia's crisis-hit auto industry.

The recall affects vehicles sold in South Korea but will be expanded to include those sold abroad, according to GM Daewoo, the country's third largest carmaker. It gave no immediate idea of the size of the foreign recall, or which countries would be affected.

"GM Daewoo Auto and Technology has reported that it will recall 58,696 vehicles that it has made and sold in Winstrom, Lacetti Premiere and Damas models due to manufacturing defects," Seoul's ministry of land, transport and maritime affairs said in a statement.

The recall will affect 45,957 Winstorm sport-utility vehicles, 12,604 Lacetti Premiere sedans and 135 Damas microvans, the ministry said.

Defective steering wheels were found in Winstorm models sold from 2006 to 2007 while flawed fuel hoses were discovered in Lacetti Premiere cars sold from 2009 to early 2010.

Exports being identified

Damas vans sold in 2009 were found to have been manufactured with insufficient fire safety measures, it said.

The affected 58,696 vehicles were sold in South Korea, a GM Daewoo spokesman said, adding that the recall would spread to vehicles sold overseas.

"A recall will be announced in other countries, where the models were exported, but we have yet to get you the exact figure," the spokesman said.

GM Daewoo sells the Winstorm and the Lacetti Premiere models as Chevrolet Captiva and Chevrolet Cruze models worldwide.

The GM Daewoo move follows a series of recalls by South Korea's top auto-maker Hyundai Motor over safety worries in cars sold in the United States.

Hyundai announced on March 2 it was recalling 515 Tucson sport utility vehicles in the US due to potentially defective airbags.

It was the firm's second such announcement in a week, after it said on February 24 it would recall 47,300 of its latest Sonata sedans in the US and the domestic market due to a possible door lock problem.

Sensitive issue

Recalls have become a sensitive issue after Japan's auto giant Toyota was forced to fix millions of vehicles worldwide.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda apologised to consumers in China early this month days after he said sorry to angry US lawmakers in Washington for faulty accelerator pedals amid allegations they were responsible for more than 30 deaths.