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410,000 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra Trucks Recalled Over Exploding Airbags

General Motors is no stranger to calling back a ridiculous number of vehicles. The ignition switch fiasco from 2014 comes to mind, a deadly episode in the Detroit-based automaker’s history that’s joined by the 1971 recall of 6.7 million cars and trucks over loose engine mounts.
2016 Chevrolet Silverado 11 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
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On this occasion, General Motors has decided to replace the roof-rail airbag inflator end caps of no fewer than 410,019 units of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Both light- and heavy-duty trucks from the 2500 and 3500 series are involved, pickups produced for the 2015 and 2016 model years.

In the middle of June 2021, the RRAB modules in three 2015 Silverado vehicles ruptured while the vehicles were unoccupied. All three inflators had split the steel inflator-body sidewall wide open, suddenly releasing the gas stored inside the chamber. The company decided to conduct a recall on June 24th, nine days after GM became aware of the first of three incidents.

The question is, why do these inflators go bang without notice? According to a certain document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, you can blame moisture introduced into the inflator vessel during the manufacturing process. That moisture results in corrosion, and in the event of a sidewall rupture, occupant injury or even death is possible.

Key Safety Systems, the supplier of the faulty airbags, is now known as Joyson Safety Systems. Currently owned by Chinese investors, the company was formed as a result of KSS purchasing the Takata Corporation that we know from the airbag issue that caused at least 28 deaths worldwide.

A document sent to GM dealers on July 1st highlights that “[replacement] parts are not currently available.” Known customers will have to wait until August 16th to receive a notification by first-class mail, and when remedy inflators become available, a second letter will be sent by General Motors.

In the meantime, owners of 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks from the 2015 and 2016 model years can check if their Silverados and Sierras are under recall by running the VIN on the automaker’s website or on the NHTSA’s website.
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 Download: 2015 - 2016 Chevy Silverado RRAB airbag recall (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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