But the automaker also cautioned that other plants could have some down time in the weeks ahead.

Meanwhile, the Ford Motor Company and the Chrysler Group each said they were restricting dealer orders for some vehicles in certain metallic colors — mostly reds and blacks — because a Japanese plant that supplies a pigment used in their paint is expected to be closed for at least a month.

The G.M. plant, which employs 925 in Shreveport, La., was the first site in the United States where vehicle assembly was halted as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. G.M. also temporarily laid off 59 people at an engine plant near Buffalo.

G.M. executives declined to say whether they had obtained more of the unspecified part that had caused the shutdown. The Shreveport plant makes the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, two of G.M.’s slower-selling trucks.

“We have enough material to operate, so we’re resuming production,” Kim Carpenter, a G.M. spokeswoman, said.

G.M. said its North American operations would be fully operational as of Monday — for now, at least.

“We are constantly assessing the situation and anticipating adjustments in our plants around the world as needed,” G.M. said in a statement.

“These adjustments may include optimizing the usage of parts that are — or will be — in short supply, modifications to manufacturing schedules and temporary suspensions of production.”

Chrysler told dealers on Friday that it would limit orders for vehicles in 10 colors, including “blackberry pearl,” “deep cherry red” and “rugged brown.”

The colors contain a pigment called Xirallic, which is made by the German chemical company Merck at a plant that has been shut because it is close to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

“We anticipate that we currently have adequate days’ supply to meet existing customer orders and are taking this step as a precautionary measure,” Katie Hepler, a Chrysler spokeswoman, said. “At this time we do not anticipate any production impacts as a result of this action.”

Ford told its dealers on Thursday that it was limiting orders for vehicles in “tuxedo black” and three red hues.

“We do not anticipate a loss of production at this time, as a result of this situation,” Ken Czubay, Ford’s vice president for United States sales, marketing and service, wrote in a memo to dealers.

G.M. declined to say whether the pigment shortage would affect availability of its vehicles.

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/business/26auto.html?partner=rss&emc=rss