Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 22, 1994 TAG: 9401220144
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: DETROIT LENGTH: Short
GM learned of the safety defect in its Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma trucks this month from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, which performed a routine side-impact test on an S-10.
The agency said the fuel system survived the impact but leaked more fuel than allowable under federal standards when it rolled over. Leaking fuel can cause explosions and fire.
The problem was unrelated to charges that GM's older full-size pickups are vulnerable to explosions and fires in side-impact collisions.
NHTSA and GM traced the leak to a joint in the fuel system. The problem had not occurred when GM had a prototype of the truck certified earlier.
Owners of the 53,000 S-10s and Sonomas on the road are being notified of the recall by mail. The other 67,000 trucks are on dealer lots or on their way to them. Dealers have been told not to sell them until they are fixed.
- Associated Press
by CNB