Warren, Mich. — September 6, 2016 — A Part 573 Safety Recall report submitted June 29 concerned approximately 32,913 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. In these autos, the source said, headlamp lenses do not come bearing the proper aiming identifier code. The report said that this represents noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, which could apply even though the units were properly aligned during production.

The larger cause of the issue was described as a headlamp supplier etching equipment programming error. Because of this issue, the lenses did not contain the right codes, potentially making it hard for services to adjust the headlamps properly.

This report came just over a month after the first notice of the issue, on May 25. General Motors’ official investigation opened June 2, with the voluntary recall action launching June 22. To address the problem, the manufacturer said it would mail both owners and dealers the necessary labels.

These labels contain four categories of information about the recalled component: the necessary name, description, part number and country of origin. The codes should appear on the headlamps in vehicles made after May 26, 2016.

Other Chevrolet recalls have included the Cruze model. A more recent one concerned a different FMVSS, number 114. This action included not just 2016 Cruzes but also other Chevrolet models, such as the Malibu and Equinox.

All of these cars could have a defect making it possible to roll away if the ignition key is removed while the transmission is in park. The component supplier involved in this case is Alps Electronics, another outfit based out of Warren, Michigan. New housings were used to remedy the problem. This safety recall officially began after June 23, 2016, on the decision of the Safety Field Action Decision Authority.

Warren, Mich. — July 29, 2016 — One of the latest General Motors recalls concerns approximately 289,254 2009 and 2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. These units might put occupants in danger because the passenger presence sensor wire might deteriorate and accidentally deactivate the passenger air bags when they’re needed.

According to the official Part 573 report for this recall, the PPS module wiring could get damaged if the front passenger seat frame rubs against it. While this might not happen in all vehicles – and only 1 percent of the recalled population are believed to have the defect – the problem is still considered potentially serious. Affected vehicles were produced between April 25, 2008 and February 16, 2010.

The damage has to be severe to prevent the air bags from functioning properly. If owners notice the air bag telltale light, the air bag status indicator or the service air bag message switched on, then this could indicate a possible problem. The same sensor issue might also affect alerts within the vehicle. The first employee indication of this issue dates back to a March 8 report through the company’s Speak Up for Safety program.

To update impacted cars and correct this problem, affected wires will be updated with anti-abrasion tape. This should help strengthen the wires and keep them from wearing down as easily. Though the report was submitted June 29, the same date planned for dealer notification, the accompanying recall acknowledgement wasn’t dated until July 20. No owner notification date was included.

In a Global Safety Field Instructions note also released June 29, the manufacturer announced that the GWM Investigate Vehicle History screen would be scheduled for a July 1 update. The statement also lists the passenger presence sensor and instrument cluster malfunction as the prompt for the recall.

Warren, Mich. — June 28, 2016 — Among the most recent GM recalls is an action centered around brake module issues in Chevrolet vehicles. The manufacturer is recalling 66 Malibu cars from the 2016 model year, in an attempt to correct possible Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard compliance problems. The electronic brake modules could suffer a potential failure that would affect multiple aspects of the car’s standard braking functions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that memory chips in these modules would impact both the anti-lock brake and electronic stability control systems. Although the driver will still be able to operate the brakes, the loss of support systems could make normal driving more difficult.

According to the official Part 573 Safety Recall Report from the organization, owners can check the driver information center for a possible indicator of electronic brake control module failure. This system could display multiple warning lights and messages, including a “service brake system” message.

The faulty component was manufactured by ZF TRW. The first indications of this issue came March 8, after several vehicles showed a loss of electronic braking systems. The remedy requires dealers to replace the electronic brake control module with a new unit that has “accurate voltages written to memory,” as the report stated. In addition, this feature will be present in all Chevrolet Malibu vehicles built after March 12.

While the dealer notification date was listed as May 4, owners are not scheduled to be notified until June 10. In the meantime, GM is directing owners to official channels, including its own recall website and customer support service.

The 2016 Malibu has been a part of other GM recalls this year. This includes a March action that affected 3,137 vehicles, as described in an official NHTSA acknowledgment.

Warren, MI — April 11, 2016 — Approximately 3,137 vehicles are subject to a possible fault that would leave occupants in danger during a collision. According to an official report submitted on March 11, this new recall applies to 2016 Chevrolet Malibu autos, which may feature fracturing on the side air bag weld studs. This could destabilize the airbag and reduce its effectiveness. Though the cause of the defect is currently unknown, the Part 573 report for this issue stated that the weak weld bonding in affected vehicles may be responsible.

The first weld fractures connected to this recall were observed earlier this year, in February. The report clarified that the manufacturer announced the recall after its Safety and Field Action Decision Authority received studies on the studs’ torque and angle. Dealers are expected to fix this issue, when it exists, by replacing all of the affected side airbag modules.

“Vehicles built after March 5, 2016 are manufactured with side airbag modules produced after additional lot acceptance testing and process check criteria were implemented at the supplier,” the source stated. Without these repairs, the offending models could violate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 214.

A Stop Delivery Notice, also distributed on March 11, warned dealers that the Global Warranty Management system won’t display the correct status or release date until the repair is ready. Dealers were also instructed to keep all potentially affected vehicles out of circulation, which included “new or used vehicle inventory, GM Certified Used, courtesy transportation vehicles, dealer shuttle vehicles” and others.

None of these vehicles were asked to be used for any purpose, which not only means sale to customers, but other purposes, such as demonstration and auction. The side airbags in need of replacement could be located in the rear, left, right and front.

Detroit, MI — June 24, 2015 — According to multiple sources, General Motors has recalled multiple models of trucks for different reasons. Examining them both, businesses should understand the necessity of recall statement accuracy when seemingly competing information is released at the same time, potentially confusing dealers and consumers.

While GM Authority reports that the manufacturer is recalling 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks for brake-related issues, Consumer Affairs states that some of these same models are also being recalled for misaligned airbag inflators. Though the latter source doesn’t specifically mention manufacturer Takata, whose inflators have been the source of a massive recall effort recently, GM has recalled more than 300,000 vehicles for this particular issue.

The brake issue has affected 14,838 vehicles, and involves air pockets in the front brake calipers that could lead to dangerous brake fluid leaks. The result may be a higher possibility of a crash, and the source states that dealers will inspect and replace the faulty calipers starting July 10.

By comparison, the airbag recall already began in March and concerns a far smaller number of vehicles, just 40, as Consumer Affairs describes. However, the possible effects are more ambiguous, since the faulty inflators could either detach from the steering wheel, explode or simply not function properly on impact. Dealers are also inspecting and replacing the systems in question as needed.

The official number of vehicles affected by the Takata airbag problems seems to be confused. Reuters reported that manufacturers say 16.2 million vehicles could have faulty airbags, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has referred to both 30 million and 34 million defective parts from Takata at different times, the source says.

Because of possible conflicting information, consistency and accuracy matters in recall efforts to make a lasting improvement and increase consumer safety.