safety alert as gm recalls cars the world s biggest carmaker general motors (gm) is recalling nearly 200 000 vehicles in the us on safety grounds  according to federal regulators.  the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) said the largest recall involves 155 465 pickups  vans and sports utility vehicles (suvs). this is because of possible malfunctions with the braking systems. the affected vehicles in the product recall are from the 2004 and 2005 model years  gm said. those vehicles with potential faults are the chevrolet avalanche  express  kodiak  silverade and suburban; the gmc savana  sierra and yukon.  the nhtsa said a pressure accumulator in the braking system could crack during normal driving and fragments could injure people if the hood was open. this could allow hydraulic fluid to leak  which could make it harder to brake or steer and could cause a crash  it warned. gm is also recalling 19 924 cadillac xlr coupes  srx suvs and pontiac grand prix sedans from the 2004 model year. this is because the accelerator pedal may not work properly in extremely cold temperatures  requiring more braking. in addition  the car giant is calling back 17 815 buick raniers  chevrolet trailblazers  gmc envoys and isuzu ascenders from the 2005 model years because the windshield is not properly fitted and could fall out in a crash. however  gm stressed that it did not know of any injuries related to the problems. news of the recall follows an announcement last month that gm expects earnings this year be lower than in 2004. the world s biggest car maker is grappling with losses in its european business  weak us sales and now a product recall. in january  gm said higher healthcare costs in north america  and lower profits at its financial services subsidiary would hurt its performance in 2005.