General Motors Corp. said Friday it is rejecting a government request that it recall as many as 4.7 million older pickup trucks, raising tensions in a standoff that could lead to a forced recall and even a court battle.
GM General Counsel Harry Pearce said the automaker formally would ask the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Friday to terminate its investigation into alleged fuel tank defects in GM’s 1973-87 full-size pickups, which critics say are prone to exploding in side-impact crashes.
“These trucks have no safety related defect, perform as well or better than competitive vehicles and . . . (meet) future standards that don’t even yet apply to trucks and even enhanced standards beyond,” Pearce said.
GM planned to buttress its argument with volumes of new data, analyzing pickup truck fatalities and their causes.
On April 9, NHTSA asked GM to recall the trucks voluntarily. GM indicated at the time it would not comply.
In a briefing Thursday, Pearce left open the possibility of a recall if GM’s image and market share are hurt. So far, he said, that hasn’t happened. GM says it is in constant contact with dealers monitoring customer attitudes. Analysts say a recall could cost GM between $200 million and $1 billion.
Pearce said even though a federal recall technically could cover only 1985-87 models, GM would recall all of the 4.7 million trucks believed to be still on the road if GM decided corrective action was needed.
