GM issues fourth recall over engine fires

General Motors is recalling about 1.4 million vehicles, including about 1.3 million in the United States, because oil dripping on hot engine components has continued to cause fires despite three earlier recalls, the automaker said.

The company is aware of 1,345 fires in vehicles repaired in earlier recalls, GM spokesman Alan Adler said in an email. There were 19 injuries described as minor and some structures, such as garages, were damaged, but the number was not immediately available, he said.

The models covered are the 1997-2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-04 Chevrolet Impala, 1998-99 Lumina, 1998-2004 Monte Carlo, 1998-99 Oldsmobile Intrigue and 1997-2004 Buick Regal. All have a 3.8-liter V-6 engine.

Adler said that the automaker is working on a new remedy and that the problem was worsened because a different component on the older vehicles, the engine valve cover, was deteriorating, allowing oil leakage.

The failure of the previous recalls has left some owners frustrated.

“I was told I was entitled to a free and effective remedy for my car,” the owner of a 2001 Buick Regal in Sacramento wrote to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2011. “The repair was obviously not effective as my car still caught fire, just as described in the recall. I called Buick and filed a claim, which was denied, without anyone coming to look at my car or anything.”

Adler said the automaker handles reimbursements case by case.

The first recall was in 2008 and covered about 200,000 vehicles. It came after federal safety regulators began an investigation prompted by owner complaints. There was another recall in 2009 and another in May as the automaker increased the numbers and models affected.

In a separate action, Fiat Chrysler said it is recalling about 75,000 2015 Jeep Cherokees in the United States because air conditioning lines could be too close to hot engine components, posing a fire hazard. The automaker said it had been prompted to investigate after seeing complaints from two owners posted on the NHTSA website. There are now six such complaints.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 2:39 PM with the headline "GM issues fourth recall over engine fires."