General Motors issues three new recalls: reports

NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Motors Co announced three new recalls affecting more than 83,000 sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks that may have faulty ignition systems, the Wall Street Journal and the Detroit News reported on Thursday.

Ignition problems also triggered dozens of recalls from GM throughout 2014. After accidents that caused more than 40 deaths, the automaker recalled more than 2.5 million vehicles.

The Journal said no crashes or injuries had been reported from the latest round of recalls, which largely focus on a potential defect in the electrical system of the vehicles.

Even though 83,000 vehicles were being recalled, the automaker expects that fewer than 500 of them will be affected by the defect, which can cause the ignition lock actuator to bind, "making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the 'start' position," the Journal reported.

GM did not immediately return Reuters calls seeking comment, and the automaker has not updated the "recall" page on its website since Dec. 5.

The Journal cited a GM spokesperson as saying the latest issue had been discovered in an internal review following warranty party returns.

The Detroit News reported that the faulty ignition could cause a vehicle to stall, with airbags failing to deploy in the event of a crash. It said on its website that GM was recalling 83,572 2011-12 model year Chevrolet Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, Avalanche GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade, along with ESV and EXT versions.

The Journal reported that the ignition problem affected the Yukon and Escalade. It said one of the other recalls concerned a faulty hose clamp in 56 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks built between September and October 2014.

The third covers 152 of the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC 1500 pickup trucks over concerns the rear axle shaft could fracture while the vehicles were being driven.

Most of GM's recalls in 2014 were related to an ignition system defect. The compensation program received more than 2,200 claims for injuries and deaths as a result of the issue.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by David Gregorio)

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