Detroit, MI — September 19, 2015 — Owners of 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts need to be aware of possible defects that may prevent air bag deployment and pose a risk to drivers. According to the Associated Press, General Motors is recalling more than 73,000 vehicles because of this danger, after receiving word of an injury and crash that may be related to this fault. Most of the cars—59,474 to be exact— are in the United States, while 13,950 are in Canada, spreading out the regions where owners might be affected.
The Detroit News has additional details about the recall, including the mechanics behind the wiring problem that keeps the airbag from being released. As this source describes it, the sensor wire harness in the driver side door is to blame. Fortunately, drivers can rely on the vehicle alert system for warning when the air bag isn’t working properly.
“When improperly routed, the window regulator could contact the harness when the window is fully lowered and over time chafe the harness insulation,” the source says. “That could result in a short circuit preventing the driver side roof rail air bag from deploying during a crash. Dealers will inspect all suspect vehicles and any found with the condition will be repaired.”
As the source goes on to note, this is similar to other recent air bag system recalls, some of which have involved wiring problems. This comes in addition to the Takata recall, which, even though it concerns a completely different type of fault and danger to the driver, also concerns problems that will limit airbag effectiveness.
