United States vehicle safety regulators have opened an investigation into about 400,000 General Motors luxury cars after 69 reports of fuel leaks near the engine, including six reported fires and one injury, Reuters reported.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reportedly said its investigation opened last Thursday covers Oldsmobile Aurora sedans and Cadillac Seville, Deville and Eldorado cars built between model years 1995 and 1997 with V8 engines.
According to Reuters, NHTSA said about a third of the complaints cite petrol leaks from small holes in the fuel rail.
One driver suffered first degree burns on the hands following an engine fire, GM spokesman Jim Schell told Reuters, adding: “The injury occurred when the driver opened the hood of the vehicle. At this point, we’re aware of the investigation, and we’re cooperating with NHTSA, and we’ll have to see what happens as a result of the investigation.”
Reuters said that, under the investigation, NHTSA will ask GM for data it has collected on similar complaints and, if NHTSA finds the data suggest a defect, it will upgrade its investigation to an engineering analysis, which can often lead to a recall.
