
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, November 18, 1994                   TAG: 9411180089
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-19   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

GM ASKS COURT TO BLOCK TRUCK RECAL

General Motors Corp. asked a federal court Thursday to block a possible recall of millions of pickup trucks that Transportation Secretary Federico Pena found at risk of bursting into flames in wrecks.

A complaint GM filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit claims Pena's finding was illegal and arbitrary. It also said Pena rejected the recommendations of his agency's own safety experts and imposed his personal views.

Pena on Oct. 17 said he had determined that 1973-1987 GM C-K pickup trucks present an ``unreasonable risk'' of fire in side-impact collisions because their fuel tanks are mounted outside the trucks' frames. He scheduled a Dec. 6 public meeting in Washington to collect additional information to help determine if a recall should be ordered.

The lawsuit names the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Pena. Although it did not ask immediate action to block the hearing, the company said it might.

- Associated Press

by CNB