JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The recall of 38,000 Chevrolet Impala police cars is affecting several sheriff's offices is northeast Florida.
General Motors is recalling the cars for fear they may cause crashes. The auto company says a control arm in the front suspension can fracture, which could make controlling the car difficult.
The recall is for model years 2008-12.
At the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, there are 102 patrol cars that are among the recall and need repairs. That's about a third of its fleet. Officials say it will not affect patrols, but they will have to rely on spare vehicles instead.
"We have enough to cover it and make sure that the deputies and the public remains safe, and that's our No. 1 concern," Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Catherine Payne said.
Of the 400 vehicles used by the Clay County Sheriff's Office, 150 are Impalas. While officials there say many of them fall under the recall model years, they're double checking their Vehicle Identification Numbers with GM to make sure they do in fact need repair.
Melissa Bujeda, of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, released this statement regarding the recall:
"GM advised that we should have the VINs of the cars affected Wednesday. Once we have the numbers, we will be able to compare with our fleet and see if we have any affected."
While St. John County Sheriff's Office officials say they'll likely only have two cars out for repair during a given shift, their fleet managers will continue to monitor the problem with daily inspections.
"As our Impalas go through a service, we're asking our maintenance people look at the Impalas' control arms to see if they are damaged or cracked, and notify us so we can get those repaired immediately," Payne said.
The recall affects only police cars. GM says the cars sold to the public have a different suspension in them.