General Motors recalls 1.4 million cars yet again due to fire risk

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After reports of more than 1,300 cases of cars catching fire, General Motors has decided to, once again, recall about 1.4 million vehicles that has once come out from their production line.

In an email to USA Today, Alan Adler, spokesperson to GM, said that the trouble happens "because drops of oil may be deposited on the hot exhaust manifold through hard braking, which can cause engine compartment fires."

The car models that are included for recall are 1997-2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina, 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1998-1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue, and1997-2004 Buick Regal. Some of the models also included belong to the Pontiac and Oldsmobile brands, which GM has already decided to phase out on production.

This was the third time already that GM had to call upon their vehicles for the last seven years, according to ABC News. Apparently, the first two recalls proved to be a futile effort on the part of the Detroit, Michigan-based American corporation.

The past recalls, which happened back in 2008 and 2009, were supposed to fix the issues in 1 million vehicles summoned for return at that time. But, these cars would still be included in today's recent recall together with hundred thousand more cars with model years ranging from 1997 to 2004.

For the past two recalls, GM gave out an advisory recommending car owners to park their vehicles outdoors if dealers have yet to work on the fix. This will ensure that homes and garages would be safe from burning down in the event that fire originates from the car's engine. The company has yet to announce if they would be having the same recommendation this time around.

Although, there had been no reported fatalities related to the issue so far, 19 minor injuries have been reported for the last six years.

The number of vehicles estimated for the recall is quite staggering, the move was deemed to have a negative impact on the company's last quarter revenues. Adler said that they have yet to come to the point where they come up with an actual figure in this regard.

"Since we have not decided on the remedy, we do not know whether the cost will result in a material charge to earnings," he said.

Meanwhile, all the repairs to be done on the vehicles during the call-back will be free of charge. The owners can have their vehicles repaired at any Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac dealership, according to CNN Money.