Massive Recall! GM Recalls 840,000 Vehicles for Seat Belt and Suspension Issues
Seat belts are probably one of the most important parts of a car considering they are the first line of defense in the event of an accident. And while we have all relied on the safety of the seat belt for the better part of the last century, issues with them can occur from time to time. This is the unfortunate case for General Motors, which announced a recall of nearly 840,000 vehicles for possible front seat belt failures or suspension issues.
What is the recall regarding?
According to U.S. News, General Motors stated that the seat belt brackets in various trucks and SUVs might not have been secured to the seat frame, which could lead to the belts not properly restraining occupants in the event of a crash. There have been no known accidents or injuries to date.
The other recall that was announced concerns a suspension issue in various mid-size sedans that were sold or registered in the salt belt states. A report by U.S. News stated that the coating on the rear toe links can chip away, causing them to rust and fracture over time.
Which vehicles are affected by the recalls?
The seat belt recall involves 624,000 different SUVs and trucks, including:
- 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2021 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2021 GMC Yukon XL
- 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
- 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
- 2020-2021 GMC Sierra 2500
- 2020-2021 GMC Sierra 3500
Only the trucks equipped with front bench seats are affected, while the pickups with bucket seats are not. Also, for the suspension recall, the following sedans are affected:
- 2012-2013 Buick Regal
- 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
- 2010-2013 Buick LaCrosse
Around 213,000 sedans are affected and the recall covers all of the vehicles that were sold and/or registered in the following salt-belt states:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Washington D.C.
So far, no crashes or injuries due to this recall have been reported.
What is GM going to do about the recall?
The Associated Press reported that General Motors will notify owners about the seat belt brackets starting February 1 and dealers will inspect and replace them correctly. As far as the suspension recall, GM will be notifying owners on February 15 and will send a second notice on March 15 when the parts are ready. The dealers will then replace the toe links when the parts are available.
Seat belt issues do happen
While it’s unfortunate for safety restraints to fail, issues like this GM recall do happen. You might remember the massive Takata seat belt recall in the mid-90s when a lot of different makes and models were recalled due to possible seat belt failures in which the belts could unlatch automatically.
And while issues like this can happen, it’s a good thing that GM is proactively going to fix these issues, so we can’t stress enough that if your vehicle is one of the cars listed here, remember to take it to a dealer upon receiving the notification.
