Buick Regal, LaCrosse Hybrid Recall Issued Due to Fire Risk

About 43,000 General Motors hybrid Buick LaCrosse, Buick Regal, and Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles equipped with eAssist Hybrid Charging Systems may have overheating circuit boards in the electrical components, which could cause the battery to gradually lose charge and for the engine to stall, as well as posing a potential fire hazard.  

The General Motors recall for hybrid vehicle with eAssist was announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on May 3, after at least 82 reports were received of overheating circuits boards causing malfunction lights to display and in some incidents causing the engine to smoke from an overheated generator control module. When the generator control module does not function properly, the vehicles may begin to lose charge in the battery causing the engine to stall and not start.

GM initiated the recall of 2012 and 2013 Buick LaCrosse and Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles equipped with eAssist after conducting an evaluation of the issue in November 2012, when a fire started in the trunk of one of the vehicles during a screening process. Due to the flammability hazard, General Motors announced the safety recall after a NHTSA investigation.

The recall consists of roughly 13,909 Buick LaCrosse models from 2012, which were manufactured between November 16, 2010 and June 14, 2012; 3,369 Buick Lacrosse models from 2013, which were manufactured between March 6, 2012 and November 15, 2012; 2,449 Buick Regal models from 2012, which were manufactured between March 2, 2011 and August 7, 2012; 796 Buick Regal models from 2013, which were manufactured between December 20, 2011 and December 4, 2012; and 22,381 Malibu Eco models manufactured between June 21, 2011 and November 15, 2012.

The recalled models were sold mainly in the United States, but 483 vehicles were sold in Canada. Currently General Motors is preparing a safety recall letter to notify all owners and to instruct them on how to have the vehicle inspected.

GM has announced the vehicles are safe to drive but owners should contact their dealer and schedule a service inspection for screening and repair process, which usually takes about three hours depending on the volume of business at the dealership. Owners with existing factory warranties will be provided with transportation during the process of screening and repair. Owners may contact GM directly at 1-800-521-7300 for further questions and concerns or the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236.