Faulty Primer on Equinox and Torrent Caused by Human Error

by Penny Stacey

The possibility of faulty primer being used on the 2007 Chevrolet Equinox and 2007 Pontiac Torrent was caused by human error, according to Terry Rhadigan, director of Chevrolet Communications. According to Rhadigan, when consumers return their vehicles for the recall, the vehicles are actually returned to the plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, where they were manufactured and inspected to determine if the incorrect primer was used. Both Pontiac and Chevrolet are divisions of General Motors Corp. (GM). Rhadigan says vehicle owners will be provided with "alternate transportation" while the vehicles are in Canada.

"Because of the circumstances, we obviously take safety issues very seriously, so we ended up sending the vehicles back to the plant," he says.

If it is discovered that the incorrect primer was used on the vehicle, the plant will replace the its windshield, liftgate glass and stationary sidelites, so that the glass will meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety (FMVS) Standard No. 212, "Windshield Mounting."

"It's just an adhesion issue," Rhadigan says, "which obviously would be out of compliance with the FMVS Standard."

Rhadigan adds that the plant where the vehicles were manufactured was CAMI Automotive Inc., a joint venture between General Motors Corp. and Suzuki. However, he says no Suzuki vehicles were affected.

As to how many vehicles have been returned, Rhadigan says GM does not have that data yet. "It's incumbent on how many people bring the vehicles back in," he says, adding that the total population of the Equinoxes and Torrents made during this time was 10,000.

Penny Stacey is the editor of glassBYTES.com™/AGRR magazine.