DETROIT—General Motors Co. is recalling 8,208 2014 Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse sedans for a problem with the front brake assembly—the company's fifth recall in the last two weeks.
GM said in a statement that the cars are being recalled for “possible reduced braking performance” because rear brake rotors might have been installed in the front brake assembly.
“The condition could significantly shorten front brake pad life and reduce brake system performance, increasing the risk of a crash,” GM said.
About 1,700 of the cars are in customers' hands; the rest are in dealer inventory. GM said it is unaware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem and said it expects that only a “small percentage” of the recalled vehicles will have the wrong front rotors.
GM sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on May 7 notifying the agency of the recall, a GM spokesman said.
GM issued a stop-delivery order for the cars on May 1. Dealers can sell the cars once they have inspected the front brake rotors and completed any required fix, GM said in a memo it sent to dealers on May 7.
The latest recall brings GM's recall count this year to at least 19 involving 5.4 million vehicles, including about 2.6 million that have a faulty ignition switch that GM has linked to 13 deaths. Some cars are subject to more than one recall.
The spate of recalls comes as GM CEO Mary Barra vows greater vigilance on vehicle safety. The company is the subject of at least four federal investigations into its handling of the defective ignition switch.
Other recalls that GM has issued in the last two weeks include 56,214 2007-08 Saturn Aura sedans for potentially faulty transmission shifters; and 50,571 2013 Cadillac SRX crossovers for a possible transmission problem that can affect acceleration.