General Motors is recalling 135,400 subcompact SUVs due to a potential problem with the jack. The plastic jack can break if not properly installed by owners wanting to lift their vehicle.
The risk of breakage arises when the jack is not positioned exactly as outlined in the owner's manual. If it breaks while the weight of the vehicle is resting on it, this obviously poses a danger to anyone around.
The recall affected the Buick Encore GX and the Chevrolet Trailblazer, both of which were introduced last year.
A GM test driver discovered the problem when they broke a jack during a durability test on a Trailblazer model. GM began investigating in April and discovered 21 claims of jack failure, including one reported injury.
“This jack design may not be sufficiently robust against fractures if improperly or incorrectly positioned on the vehicle frame by the user”, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety report states.
GM will begin notifying owners of affected vehicles on July 26. It will provide free replacement jacks, this time made of metal.
.jpg?scaledown=450)