General Motors expands recall of vehicles in US, Canada for power steering problems.

The New York Times (2/15, Jensen, Subscription Publication, 9.97M) reports that General Motors has issued a recall for “more than 81,000 cars because their power steering systems could suddenly fail, making the vehicles harder to turn,” in what is a follow-up to the recall of 1.3 million vehicles last March. According to the story, about 11,000 of the vehicles are in Canada, and GM “said it was recalling the additional vehicles after an inquiry last April by Transport Canada, that country’s counterpart to the N.H.T.S.A.”

        Bloomberg News (2/15, Barinka, 2.94M) reports that GM will alert owners of vehicles with the defect “and replace the torque sensor assembly without charging for the fixes.” In a letter, NHTSA recall management chief Jennifer Timian said, “If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.”

        The Wall Street Journal (2/15, Bennett, Subscription Publication, 5.67M) also reports.

        Vehicle recalls more than double in 2014, NHTSA data show. The Detroit Bureau (2/14, Strong) reports that automotive recalls in the US in 2014 surpassed the previous year by “more than 100%,” with 63.95 million vehicles having been recalled, according to NHTSA. General Motors accounted for most of the recalls at 27 million vehicles recalled in 84 different events. The article partially focused on NHTSA resources to handle recalls and monitor auto safety nationwide, noting that NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind wants more funding for investigating possible vehicle issues, warning that more vehicles could be recalled this year than in 2014. Secretary Foxx agrees, having stated for the press earlier this week that “It’s no longer reasonable frankly to expect an office with 8 screeners and 16 defects investigators to adequately analyze 75,000 complaints a year.”

        The International Business Times (2/14, Young, 1.19M), video from CNBC (2/14, 2.81M), and Law 360 (2/13, Field, 9K) also report with similar coverage.