General Motors has announced the recall of a further 2.7 million vehicles, most of which have brake light defects.

The recall, which affects a number of different models, will cost about $200m (£120m; 146m euros), the carmaker said.

Last month, the company revealed it had taken a $1.3bn hit to cover the cost of recalling about 2.6 million cars with defective ignition switches.

The carmaker said the latest recall was due to a greater emphasis on safety following the ignition problems.

"We have redoubled our efforts to expedite and resolve current reviews and have identified and analysed recent vehicle issues which require action," said GM's safety chief Jeff Boyer.

Crashes and injuries

The main recall involves 2.44 million Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Auras models in the US.

The carmaker said the fault could result in brake lights not working when the brakes are applied, or the lights coming on when the brakes are not applied. Cruise control and traction control might also be affected, it said.

GM said it was aware of "several hundred" complaints, 13 crashes and two injuries as a result of the fault.

The other recalls include 140,000 Chevrolet Malibus for hydraulic brake booster issues and more than 100,000 Chevrolet Corvettes for faulty head lights.

(Published by BBC – May 15, 2014)