GM recalls about 33,700 vehicles to fix software issue

DETROIT, March 20 (Reuters) - General Motors Co is recalling about 33,700 model-year 2013 Buick LaCrosse sedans and Cadillac SRX crossover vehicles globally to address a potential software problem that could increase the risk of a crash.

GM said the problem may cause the transmission to unexpectedly slip from manual to automatic mode. The U.S. automaker said there are no reports of crashes or injuries related to the issue.

The recall affects 26,582 vehicles in the United States, with the rest in Canada, Mexico, the Middle East and China, the company said.

Dealers will reprogram the transmission control module free of charge.

The Detroit company also recalled 48 compressed natural gas-powered versions of the 2011-model Chevrolet Express full-sized vans to repair a potentially incorrectly built pressure relief vent pipe that could allow natural gas into the passenger compartment and increase the risk of an explosion or fire.

GM said all the vans, which were sold to three U.S. fleet customers and one dealer, have been inspected, and there were no reported crashes, injuries or fires related to the issue.