DETROIT -- General Motors is recalling nearly 1.5 million Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac mid-sized cars equipped with a 3.8-liter engine because an oil leak could start an engine fire.


Under hard braking, engine oil could leak past a heat shield and drip on the exhaust manifold. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that could start a small fire that could spread to a plastic spark plug wire guide and beyond.

The vehicles affected by the recall are the 1997-2003 Buick Regal; 1998-2003 Chevrolet Lumina, Monte Carlo and Impala; 1998-99 Oldsmobile Intrigue; and 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix.

GM dealers will remove the plastic spark plug retention guide and install two spark plug wire retainers free of charge, NHTSA says. A total of 1,497,516 vehicles are involved in the recall.

As of May 1, 2008, GM had reported one accident with an injury, and three total incidents, related to the defects, according to government documents. No fatalities have been reported.

The recall does not affect the supercharged version of the 3.8-liter engine.