GM recalls cars in Canada due to fire hazard

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General Motors recently announced it’s recalling 1.4 million vehicles across North America. Nearly 126 thousand are in Canada including six models with engines that have caught fire.

That recall didn’t come soon enough for a St. Catharines family whose Pontiac Grand Prix caught fire in their driveway and ended up gutting their house.

Terry O’Toole had his 2002 Grand Prix for about two years. He got 17 hundred dollars for the burned out car from the insurance company. Right now he’s waiting for the recall noticed from General Motors.

It was about 1:30 in the morning on March 29th last year when the O’Toole family’s Pontiac Grand Prix ignited in their driveway. “Literally the engine blew up. Went through the garage, it engulfed the bedrooms and they told me, in three minutes the house would have been gone.” The fire spread to the house.

O’Toole wasn’t home that night, he’s thankful his two children and mother-in-law escaped.

O’toole’s Grand Prix was one of 1.4 million GM vehicles on the recall list. Older model Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Regal, Chevy Impala, Chevy Lumina, Oldmobile Intrigue and the Chevy Monte Carlo dating back as far as 1997.

Under hard braking oil drops could fall onto the exhaust manifold and catch fire. Flames spreading to other plastics in the engine.

During the first two recalls GM told owners to park the cars outside until the repairs could be made. Most of the fires happened within minutes of shutting off the engine.