General Motors recalls over 94,000 SUVs for damaged seat belts

Warren, MI – April 7, 2021 – General Motors (NYSE:GM) has recalled 94,641 vehicles whose seat belts may become damaged or trapped, increasing the risk of injury. The recall includes the following SUVs:

  • 2021 Cadillac Escalade
  • 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
  • 2021 Chevrolet Suburban
  • 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
  • 2021 GMC Yukon
  • 2021 GMC Yukon XL

Recall summary

The third-row seat and third-row seat belts in these vehicles may have been installed incorrectly. Therefore, they may become “entrapped” or damaged, making them difficult to use or latch. 

Risks

In the event of a crash, the seatbelt might break, amplifying the risk of injury. As stated in this  article about  a recent General Motors recall, seat belts saved about 15,000 lives in 2017 alone.  

Other General Motors recalls

In December 2020 General Motors recalled over 600,000 vehicles, including the 2021 Yukon XL, due to the seat belts being “loose or detached from the seat frame.” In 2021, Chevrolet Tahoe was part of a 33,000-strong  recall due to defective Continental tires.

Repair

GM dealers will inspect and replace damaged seat belts for free. Owners will be contacted about this recall on May 3.

Is your vehicle part of the recall?

Approximately 95,000 vehicles are part of this General Motors recall. To perform a General Motors recall check, use Motor Safety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Aleksandra SnesarevaGeneral Motors recalls over 94,000 SUVs for damaged seat belts

General Motors continues recall of heavy duty pickups with faulty seat belts

Warren, MI – January 5, 2021 – General Motors (NYSE:GM) is continuing  a recall of 38,048 heavy-duty trucks that were built with the driver- and front passenger-side seat belt parts meant for other cars. The recall includes the following pickup trucks:

  • 2017-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500
  • 2017-2018 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500

The name of the affected component is Retractor ASM-F/Seat Belt with part numbers 84253641, 84253686, 84234013 and 84234008.

Recall summary  

The recall concerns the seat belt torsion bars, which help the seat belt hold a passenger during a crash and protect him or her from an upper body injury. The bars a supplier of General Motors (GM) installed in these vehicle models in the seat belt retractors were the wrong size and had not gone through crash testing.  These bars are typically used in “other full-size trucks,” according to GM.

Continuation of the 2017 recall

This is a continuation of a recall that was originally announced in September 2017. A month after starting the original recall GM petitioned the auto industry regulator – the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – to be released from going through with the recall, based on the belief that the different seat belt part would be “inconsequential” to safety. 

The regulator disagreed and denied GM’s petition in November 2020. Between fall of 2017 and spring of 2019, the automaker recalled and fixed over 10,000 cars.

Other Chevy Silverado recalls

A different model year of Chevy Silverado 2500 is subject to a recent recall launched on the back of faulty airbag end caps that may fly off and injure or distract the car occupants. 2020-2021 Silverado 2500 and 3500, as well as GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks, are involved in another seat belt recall, also as reported. The seat belts on these cars may similarly fail to protect the driver and passengers due to being loose.

Risks

A seat belt meant for another car may not work as expected. This can lead to an injury or death for the car’s  driver and passengers.

Read more about seat belt safety in this Chrysler seat belt recall article.

The repair

GM will replace the seat belt retractor with one with the correct size torsion bar, free of charge. GM began notifying owners on December 28, but the repair will not be available until after March 17. 

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 38,000 vehicles are part of this GM recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandGeneral Motors continues recall of heavy duty pickups with faulty seat belts

GM Recalls Pickup Trucks Due to Seat Belt Fire Fears

Laguna Hills, CA – Nov. 21, 2019 – Well over a half-million pickup trucks manufactured by General Motors LLC are poised to be pulled from the marketplace over safety concerns related to the front seat belt pretensioners. When passengers strap themselves in, a hot gas may emit from pretensioner bracket opening. This could cause a fire within the interior of the vehicle. The potentially compromised models in question include the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.

Although GM has yet to announce when motorists will be officially notified of this safety issue by mail, the automaker intends to send mailers alerting registered owners shortly. Recipients are urged to have their cars examined by an area dealership so this problem can be resolved, if one exists. The repair comes at no charge.

The Defect

According to documents submitted to and distributed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM is recalling approximately 556,399 pickup trucks nationwide whose seat belt pretensioners – both on the driver and passenger side of the car – may be compromised. Upon the belt’s deployment from the assembly, a flammable gas may emanate out of the bracket aperture. Such a scenario may lead to a fire. All the suspect vehicles have carpet floor mats, which are not fire retardant. Those with vinyl floor coverings are not in any danger.

The specific automobiles included in the GM seat belt fire recall are the following:

  • 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  • 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
  • 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
  • 2019-2020 GMC Sierra 1500
  • 2020 GMC Sierra 2500
  • 2020 GMC Sierra 3500

Chevrolet Silverados represent the lion’s share of the GM seat belt fire recall at 355,878, based upon NHTSA records and estimates.

Timeline of Events

This issue first came to GM’s attention July 25, when corporate headquarters was briefed about a fire occurring within the cab of a GM-manufactured pickup truck. Internal fire investigators participated in the inquiry as well and determined approximately five days later that the problem may be linked to a similar event that involved the same make and model.

GM and the internal fire experts referred the case to GM’s technical center for follow-up analysis and a more in-depth breakdown as to the nature and cause of the conflagration and how best to resolve it. This subsequent investigation took place in September.

In mid-October, those leading the inquiry determined the most likely cause was a hot gas that vented from the pretensioner opening, which subsequently ignited carpet fibers found on the floor. These findings were then submitted to GM open investigation review board Nov. 4. Three days later, the automaker decided a safety recall was appropriate. No known crashes, deaths or injuries have been reported as a result of this seat belt glitch.

The Solution

While General Motors dealers have since been notified about this safety alert, motorists soon will be, according to the automaker’s  records. There’s no official date as of yet, but GM expects mailers being distributed sent out in the first or second week of December. Those informed are asked to bring their automobile to a local dealer. If deemed necessary after inspecting the suspect seat belt unit, the pretensioner aperture will be closed off, thus stopping the gas’s outflow.

For more information on the GM seat belt fire recall or additional recalls recently announced by the Detroit, Michigan-based automaker, please visit MotorSafety.org.

Sean ReyesGM Recalls Pickup Trucks Due to Seat Belt Fire Fears