General Motors Corp.'s Buick Rendezvous and Pontiac Aztek sport-utility vehicles may develop a fuel tank leak due to improper welding, a U.S. safety agency said in announcing the second stage of an investigation, Bloomberg News reported today.
The investigation covers the Rendezvous and Aztek from model years 2001 to 2004, the Transportation Department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site. The agency cited 213 complaints, and as many as 279,780 vehicles may be affected.
Fuel or odor may leak from the lower portion of the fuel tank inlet filler pipe, at the point where a check valve is welded to the tank, the agency said. Vehicles manufactured after December 2003 aren't affected, NHTSA said.
