GM announces six new recalls covering 8.4M vehicles

General Motors has announced six new recalls covering more than 8.4 million vehicles. The vast majority of those vehicles recalled, 8,227,041 in all, are being called back due to an ignition switch issue.

Following a similar recall that covered more than 2.6 million vehicles, GM announced on Monday that it is calling back 8.22 million vehicles – 7.36 million of which are located in the United States – over a defective ignition switch. GM says the switches used in those vehicle can inadvertently slip out of the “run” position, disabling safety features like airbags and power steering.

The recall covers the 1997-2005 Chevrolet Malibu; 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue; 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero; 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am; 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala; 2000-2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix; 2003-2014 Cadillac CTS; and 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX.

For whatever reason, GM separated the ignition switch recall into two separate campaigns – one covering the Cadillac models and the other covering the balance of vehicles listed.

GM says it is aware of seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities in those recalled vehicles, but added “there is no conclusive evidence that the defect condition caused those crashes.”

GM CEO Mary Barra said the ignition flaw was discovered after a comprehensive review of the company’s safety record.

“We undertook what I believe is the most comprehensive safety review in the history of our company because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers,” Barra said is a statement released to the media. “Our customers deserve more than we delivered in these vehicles. That has hardened my resolve to set a new industry standard for vehicle safety, quality and excellence.”

Separately, GM announced the recall of 20,134 2011-2014 Chevrolet Cruze; 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic; 2013-2014 Chevrolet Trax; 2013-2014 Buick Encore and 2014-2014 Buick Verano models because of an engine block heater cord that could become damaged in cold weather. Just 2,990 of those recalled vehicles are in the U.S.

GM’s fourth recall of the day was issued to address an insufficiently torqued fastener on 117 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Impala, Buick Regal and Cadillac XTS models.

Just over 12,000 2007-2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD truck models equipped with an auxiliary battery are also being recalled because of an electrical problem that could spark and under-hood fire.

Lastly, GM is recalling 188,705 SUVs over an electrical short in the driver’s side door panel. That glitch could disable power lock and window features and possibly even overheat the module. The recall covers 2005-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7x models. Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL models from the 2006 model year are also covered by the recall.