General Motors Corp., the largest US automaker, recalled 944,000 sedans, sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks worldwide because of a potential short circuit in a system that heats windshield-wiper fluid. The voluntary recall affects 16 models from 2006 to 2008 that have the system, including Chevrolet Silverado pickups, Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs and Cadillac DTS sedans, the Detroit-based automaker said in a letter posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site. Of the vehicles, 857,735 are in the US. A short circuit in the washer-fluid system can cause other electrical features to malfunction and lead to smoke or fire, the agency said. There have been three reported fires related to the problem, with no accidents or injuries, GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said on Friday. The models covered are the 2007 and 2008 Silverado and Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche and Suburban, GMC Acadia, Yukon, Yukon XL and Sierra, and Saturn Outlook; the 2006 to 2008 Hummer H2, Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne; and the 2008 Buick Enclave. GM plans to install wiring with a built-in fuse to prevent short circuits, at no cost to vehicle owners. The automaker also voluntarily recalled 88,809 Acadias and Outlooks from 2007 and 2008, as well as 2008 Enclaves, in 28 US states and Washington, D.C., for a separate windshield-wiper defect. A snow or ice buildup can restrict the wiper arm on those SUVs and cause the wiper to detach from its motor, GM said. Dealers will install new wiper components on the affected vehicles.
