GM recalls nearly 15,000 Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala sedans

General Motors is recalling about 15,000 vehicles to fix two problems--reprogramming the electronic stability control in some 2012 Buick LaCrosse cars and rerouting the power-steering hose on the 2012 Chevrolet Impala.

The automaker is recalling 10,344 Impalas to reroute the upper power-steering house that could fail because of heat from the catalytic converter. As a result, the hose sprays fluid over the catalytic converter, causing smoke and potential fire.

GM discovered the problem during testing at the Oshawa, Ontario, assembly plant.

Owners of affected vehicles, built between April 19 and July 29, will be notified and can take their cars into GM dealerships for free repairs. Dealers will inspect the routing of the power-steering hose and reroute it if necessary, or replace the damaged hose. They also will install a protective sleeve around both power-steering hoses to prevent abrasion and wear.

The automaker also is recalling 4,077 copies of the 2012 Buick LaCrosse because of incorrect calibration of the stability control, which might cause the system not to detect a malfunctioning sensor. If this occurs, the warning light will not illuminate and the stability control could falsely activate, causing sudden changes in handling and deceleration. As a consequence, drivers could lose control and potentially crash without warning.

GM will notify owners of affected vehicles, who can then take their LaCrosses to a GM dealership to have the system reprogrammed free of charge.

For more information, visit www.nhtsa.gov.

By Brad Constant