Commodore unaffected by Camaro recall

GM Holden says it is not impacted by the recall of 511,528 Chevrolet Camaros. The safety related recall of Camaro, which is based on the same Australian-engineered Zeta chassis as the VF Commodore, was announced late last week in the USA.

The two-door coupe was called back to fix an ignition switch problem similar to the one that has been linked to at least 13 deaths in the Cobalt and other Chevrolet models. It was found via an internal GM investigation that in some instances a driver's knee could impact the ignition key and move it from the 'run' position.

GM Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt said that apart from being on the other side of the vehicle, the Commodore's steering column was different and mounted higher than the unit in the Camaro.

Following a review of the Commodore's ignition switch hardware, he said therefore Australia's top-selling large car was given the all-clear.

"We are aware GM North America has launched a recall of current-generation Chevrolet Camaro vehicles," said Poppit.

"In light of this, Holden engineers conducted a review of the VF Commodore, which is based on the same architecture, and can confirm that it is not impacted by this particular recall.”

GM says there have been a number of reports of minor accidents but no fatalities due to the problem, which it claims is different to the problem in the Cobalt.

The earlier GM recalls involved the Cobalt and other small GM cars in which a bump of the key fob could disable the engine, airbag and power steering and braking systems.

First observed by GM engineers in 2002, the defect was not reported to consumers for years, leading to the high-profile grilling of GM CEO Mary Barra before the US Congress in recent weeks.

What followed was an overhaul of the way GM handles safety recalls and the departures of 15 GM employees, including several senior legal, engineering and public policy executives.

The Camaro recall, which covers model years 2010 to 2014, brings to 3.1 million the number of GM vehicles affected by ignition switch-related problems. In all, GM has recalled a record 16.5 million vehicles in 38 separate actions this year.