http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000412/ts/autos_recall_1.html

Wednesday April 12 2:17 PM ET

Seven Carmakers Recall About 490,000 Vehicles

DETROIT (Reuters) - Seven automakers have recalled almost 490,000 passenger cars and light trucks, federal safety regulators said.

DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX - news)(DCXGn.DE) has recalled more than 211,000 vehicles, General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news) has recalled more than 146,000, and smaller recalls have been ordered by Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (7267.T), Mazda Motor Corp. (7261.T), Volkswagen AG (VOWG.F), and BMW (BMWG.F) and its Land Rover sport utility unit, according to a report by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

DaimlerChrysler, the world's No. 5 automaker, recalled 204,000 1999- and 2000-model Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler Concorde, 300M and LHS sedans, and Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicles (SUVs) because of an improperly installed top mounting bolt on the vehicles' seat belt system, NHTSA said.

The bolt may not hold in an accident, the agency said. DaimlerChrysler spokesman Dave Wilkins blamed the problem on a subcontractor error.

The German-U.S. automaker also recalled 7,580 2000-model Concorde, 300M, LHS and Intrepid sedans to correct a molding error that can interfere with proper operation of seat belts, NHTSA said. Wilkins said no injuries or accidents occurred in either recall and said both problems were caught by company engineers during testing.

GM, the world's largest automaker, recalled 135,475 1998- and 1999-model Oldsmobile Intrigue sedans to fix a problem with rear seat shoulder belts that can become twisted and jammed and thus unusable.

GM also recalled 10,674 2000-model Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma compact pickups and Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups to replace a spring clip that could render the anti-lock braking system nonfunctional, NHTSA said.

In both recalls, GM said there had been no reports of injuries or accidents.

Japan's Honda recalled 77,695 1999- and 2000-model Odyssey minivans to install a fix to protect the engine wiring harness from contact with a metal pipe that could blow a fuse and possibly lead to loss of anti-lock braking, lighting, windshield wipers and horn functions, the agency said. Honda said there had been no reports of injuries or accidents.

Japan's Mazda recalled 22,000 1999-model Miata sports cars to fix a potential problem that could make it hard to refuel the cars or cause fuel spit-back, NHTSA said. Mazda said there were no reports of injuries or accidents.

German luxury automaker BMW recalled 17,700 2000-model 3-Series, 5-Series and 7-Series sedans to fix a problem that could leave the brake lights stuck in the on or off position, the agency said. BMW said there were no injuries or accidents reported.

Land Rover recalled 2,838 1999- and 2000-model Land Rover Discovery II SUVs to fix a potential problem with the high-pressure hydraulic pump that could lead to an engine compartment fire, NHTSA said. Land Rover said there were no accidents or injuries reported.

Germany's VW recalled 11,400 1993-model Eurovans to fix a potential fuel-leakage problem that could lead to a fire, the agency said. VW officials said there were reports of three fires, but no injuries.

-- viewer (justp@ssing.by), April 12, 2000