General Motors (GM) has been forced to recall 474,000 models of Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn cars due to a transmission problem.
Recalled cars are mostly in the United States, with a smaller sampling across Canada and Mexico. All of the affected cars are 2007 to 2010 models of Chevrolet Malibus, Pontiac G6s and Saturn Auras. They each have a four-speed transmission.
According to the Associated Press, GM claims that part of the transmission cables can break, and this type of problem can cause cars to roll away unexpectedly. NBC News reports that the automaker is aware of four minor crashes that occurred as a result of these problems but there were no injuries.
Owners are urged to set up appointments with local dealers in order to have the correct auto repair done, with letters alerting drivers of the problem scheduled to be sent out in the beginning of October. If dealers find a problem, retainer covers will be places on the cables to keep them in working order. In some rare cases the whole cable will have to be replaced.
GM was forced to recall over 275,000 vehicles in early 2009 due to a similar problem with a shift lever. In that instance only a low number of the affected cars had been sold, and the rest just needed to undergo the car repair while still in dealerships.