The safety of police cruisers all across the United States and Canada are now in question, as General Motors announced that it is recalling more than 38,000 Chevrolet Impala police vehicles because of suspension issues in the front end that could lead to an a accident.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall affects police cars from the 2008 through 2012 model years, because the lower control arm in the suspension can fracture, causing sudden changes in handling that could cause the driver to lose control.

Fortunately, those Impalas that were sold to the general public were manufactured with different suspension parts and are not affected by the recall, according to GM spokesman Alan Adler. “We tested for durability on the civilian Impala, and we believe there are no issues,” he said.

While General Motors isn’t aware of an accidents or injuries that have been caused as a result of the problem, they say that a squeal or chirp is likely to come from the tire area at low speeds.

The problem will be repaired at no cost to police departments. Parts are currently available, and departments are encouraged to call dealers to schedule repairs, according to Adler.

General Motors began investigating the problem in February, after receiving reports from several police departments that the lower control arms had cracked near a bushing sleeve. By July, GM engineers had linked the problem to the lower control arms that the company began using in the middle of the 2008 model year.

All of the vehicles were manufactured at GM’s factory in Oshawa, Ontario.

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