GM recalls 200,000 Saturn VUEs; Volkswagen adds to Routan recall

General Motors has issued recalls for another round of cars with problems related to faulty ignition switches.

The company said 202,115 of its Saturn VUEs from the years 2002 to 2004 may be fitted with keys that can come out when the car is still turned on -- a problem that could be connected to two crashes and one injury, GM said.

GM said owners of the affected vehicles should make certain to put their transmissions in “Park” -- or in “Reverse” on manual transmission cars -- before exiting them.

Volkswagen also extended an ignition switch safety recall, adding 18,526 2009 Routans to an earlier recall of about 15,000 of the vehicles. The company said the vehicles could experience “inadvertent ignition key displacement,” which could cut off the engine and prevent airbags and other protective systems from functioning.

The new recall is the lastest in a cascade of safety recalls issued by GM, in a year that has seen a record number of automotive recalls from U.S. car manufacturers.

So far in 2014, more than 40 million vehicles have been the subject of safety recalls. More than half of those involved cars made by GM, whose faulty ignition switch problems have been linked to many accidents and 13 deaths. The company and that issue are the subject of ongoing investigations by the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration, Congress and the Department of Justice.

GM also issued recalls for 48,059 Cadillac ATS sedans and Buick Encores, model year 2013, for problems with seat belts, and for 14,940 Chevrolet Impala sedans, model years 2014 and 2015, for a faulty front console compartment latch.

About 2,000 2009-10 Chevrolet Aveos and 2009 Pontiac G2s were recalled for possible brake fluid problems, as were a similar number of 2014 Chevrolet Sparks for problems with control arm bolts.

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