A Heads-Up For GM Owners
If you currently own a GM product from 2015 to 2016, you might want to take notice. GM has issued a recall for its airbag inflators due to a risk of rupture during deployment. Brands affected include Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 9,725 vehicles are potentially involved in the recall across all three. The estimated number of vehicles with the defect is 1% for each of the three brands. That percentage may be low, but it doesn’t mean that it should be ignored.
Chevrolet
The Recalls
The front driver’s side airbag inflators fitted to certain Cadillac vehicles may contain speckled low-density (SLD) propellant. NHTSA notes that ‘SLD increases the likelihood of a high-pressure deployment that can lead to an inflator rupture.’ The said part may explode and send shrapnel through the airbag and the interior. The front airbag inflators for the Cadillacs were made by ARC Automotive Inc. GM analyzed its ‘D5’ inflators following an investigator’s report. One of the dissected inflators contained SLD, thus prompting the company to issue a recall for said part ‘out of an abundance of caution.’
As for the GMC and Chevrolet models in the recall, there are two separate bulletins for rupturing side curtain airbag inflators. NHTSA says the inflator end cap may separate from the body, or the forces exerted on it may cause the inflator body to split, resulting in unintended deployment. One cause has been identified as water left during the manufacturing process, which led to corrosion and eventual failure of the part. The other cause is yet to be determined at the time of writing.
There has been a case of a parked, unattended vehicle deploying its curtain airbags even without an impact being recorded. The curtain airbag inflators fitted to GMC and Chevrolet models were made by Joyson Safety Systems, then known as Key Safety Systems.
GMC
Models Affected
On Cadillac’s side, NHTSA listed the ATS, CTS, XTS, SRX, Escalade, and Escalade ESV. That said, not all cars built between 2015 and 2016 are involved, as there are specific production batches fitted with the too-powerful inflators. 4,125 are said to be potentially affected.
For the Chevrolet, the affected vehicles are the Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500, along with GMC’s Sierra 1500, 2500, and 1500 for model years 2018 and 2019. There are actually two separate recalls for the twins, as two build batches were fitted with two different faulty inflators. The first recall affects 2,819 vehicles, specifically Crew Cab models, while the other one affects 2,785 units.
Cadillac dealers will replace the front airbag inflator module with a unit that does not contain SLD. The same applies to the side curtain airbag modules fitted to the GMC and Chevrolet full-size pickups.
GM
About the author
Anton Andres
News Editor