GM will recall 1.5M vehicles
It's the automaker's second such recall in two years.
The recall announced Tuesday covers several crossovers, sport utility vehicles, pickups and passenger cars produced between 2006 and 2009.
GM is offering to pay vehicle owners and lessees $100 and to remove the heated windshield washer fluid system, according to a safety recall notice.
GM launched a similar recall in 2008 to add a fuse to address a potential electrical short. But there have been new reports of incidents since then. Five fires have been reported, but no injuries or crashes have resulted, GM said.
"While our analysis shows the number of incidents is very small compared with the number of vehicles on the road, we want our customers to have complete peace of mind," Jeff Boyer, GM's executive director of safety, said in a prepared statement.
Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst at IHS Global Insight, said the recall is unlikely to hurt GM sales or quality perceptions among consumers, who have faced a string of recalls in recent months among major automakers, including Chrysler Group LLC and Toyota Motor Corp.
"It doesn't help by any means, especially if they're trying to tell people they've got much better quality and reliability, and then they issue a recall," Bragman said.