Important: GM Initiates Recall And Stop Sale Of Chevrolet Express And GMC Savana Vans. Here’s What You Should Do If You Own One

by Alex Luft
Mar 29th, 2010

Important: GM Initiates Recall And Stop Sale Of Chevrolet Express And GMC Savana Vans. Heres What You Should Do If You Own One General Motors is recalling 5,000 Chevy Express and GMC Savana passenger and cargo vans due to suspected faulty alternators. The company is halting production and putting a stop sale on the vehicles until it finds a fix.

Affected vehicles were built in February and March of this year and contain the following VINs (Vehicle Identification Numbers) – last eight digits shown:

YEAR	BRAND	MODEL	FROM	THROUGH
2010	CHEVROLET	EXPRESS 2500/3500	A1129327	A1142523
2010	GMC	SAVANA 2500/3500	A1128784	A1901915

GM states that only the 2500 (three-quarter ton) and 3500 (one-ton) Series vans are affected. The light-duty (half-ton/1500) Express and Savana vans use a different alternator and are not affected. The light-duty vans continue to be built and shipped from the Ventzville, Mo. plant, which produces about 60 percent heavy-duty models. Click through the break to find out what you should do if you happen to own one of the recalled vehicles.

Own One? Here’s What You Should Do

According to GM, very few of the affected vans are in retail customer possession, with about 1,300 being in rental and other fleets. Since GM issued a Stop Sale order Friday, fleet-owned vans are prevented from being rented or those vans on dealers lots from being sold. Vans that are in dealerships or in ports are being held before being exported.

If you happen to own one of the affected vans, GM urges you to stop driving the vehicle, park it outside and away from buildings and other vehicles, and – if possible – disconnect both battery cables.

AC Delco Alternators Also Affected

About 1,400 aftermarket parts made by AC Delco are also affected by the recall.

The affected part numbers include:

15200110
15288861
15263859
15847291

These affect 2005-2010 heavy duty Express or Savana vans that had replacement alternators installed in February and March as well as 2005-2009 GM trucks or SUVs.

GM urges those who had replacement alternators installed to check their repair order receipts to determine if a recalled part was involved. If it was, or if the part used is unknown, GM urges these customers to take the same action as with the vans above: “stop driving their vehicles, park them away from buildings and other vehicles and, if possible, disconnect both battery cables.”

These owners should contact their Customer Assistance Center and provide their contact information to allow GM/AC Delco to follow up.

The GM Authority Take

Nobody likes recalls, but it’s good to see GM tackling this problem head on. If there’s anything to learn from Toyota, it’s the promptness and openness of recalls. That said, we wonder whether the Chevy Express Prisoner transport van is part of this recall (we don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t be). More as it happens.

GM Recalls 5,000 Heavy Duty Vans for Engine Fire Risk
Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana Vans Built in February and March Affected

2010-03-26

DETROIT — General Motors Co. is conducting a safety recall of about 5,000 heavy-duty Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana passenger and cargo vans and halting production and sale of the trucks until a fix for a suspected faulty alternator can be determined.

Retail and fleet customers who purchased these vans, which were built in February and March this year, are being urged to stop driving the vans, park them outside away from buildings and other vehicles and, if possible, disconnect both battery cables.

Vehicles affected by the recall and stop sale fall in these ranges of Vehicle Identification Numbers (last eight digits shown):

Year	Division	Model	From	Through
2010	Chevrolet	Express 2500/3500	A1129327	A1142523
2010	GMC	Savana 2500/3500	A1128784	A1901915

Relatively few of the affected vans are in retail customer possession. About 1,300 are in rental and other fleets, and a Stop Sale order was issued Friday, preventing the fleet-owned vans from being rented or those on dealer lots from being sold. Others are being held at dealerships or in ports before being exported.

Only the 2500 (three-quarter ton) and 3500 (one-ton) Series vans are affected. Light-duty (half-ton) Express and Savana vans use a different alternator. The light-duty vans are still being built and shipped from the plant in Wentzville, Mo. Typical production at the plant is about 60 percent heavy-duty models.

“The Stop Sale and production halt are measures being taken to assure customer safety until we have a repair procedure,” said Jeff Boyer, GM executive director of Safety and Interiors.

AC Delco Alternators Also Affected

About 1,400 AC Delco aftermarket parts also are affected by the recall. The affected part numbers are: 15200110; 15288861; 15263859 and 15847291. Customers who had a heavy duty alternator replaced in February or March in a 2005-2010 heavy-duty Express or Savana van or other 2005-2009 GM truck or SUV also are being urged to check their repair order receipts to determine if a suspect part was involved. If it was, or the part used is unknown, they are urged to stop driving their vehicles, park them away from buildings and other vehicles and, if possible, disconnect both battery cables.

These owners also are asked to contact their Customer Assistance Center to provide their contact information, so we can follow up with them when more information is available.

About General Motors: General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 204,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com .