General Motors has announced that it will recall nearly 475,000 2007 through 2010 Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn midsize sedans to rectify problematic gear levers that could cause vehicles to roll forward or backward when drivers think they are in park.
The recall covers 2007 through 2010 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura sedans equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission. Four-speed automatics were standard on the following models:
- 2007-2010 Chevrolet Malibu four-cylinder (a six-speed automatic became optional in 2008)
- 2007 Chevrolet Malibu V6
- 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
- 2007-2010 Pontiac G6 four-cylinder and V6 (except 3.6-liter V6; beginning in 2009, a six-speed automatic was optional with the four-cylinder)
- 2008 Saturn Aura (except 3.6-liter V6)
- 2009-2010 Saturn Aura HybridÂ
At fault are shift cable locking tabs that could break. As a result, the gear position indicated on the shift lever might indicate that the vehicle is in park, but the transmission itself could be in a different gear. According to GM, the vehicle's key could be removed from its ignition, but the automatic door locks will remain engaged (assuming the vehicle's locks are set to activate automatically) and the park indicator will not illuminate.
To fix the issue, dealers will be instructed to either install a shift cable retainer clip or replace the shift cable entirely.Â
Four crashes involving the faulty transmission lever have been reported, GM said, although there have been no injuries directly related to the issue.Â
