Photo: General Motors
General Motors has announced it may have to recall another 4.3 million vehicles because of Takata airbags, on top of the cars it already had to fix.
This is not GM’s first Takata-related recall, but the Detroit automaker said that it does not believe these 4.3 million vehicles to have any defect on their airbag systems.
Furthermore, General Motors believes the entire batch of 6.8 million vehicles it must recall because of Takata airbag inflators does not require any fixes, as the automaker requested unique specifications for inflators at the time of order.
According to General Motors, the Takata inflators used in its trucks and large SUVs are designed to have different venting for hot gasses, and they were also installed in the vehicles in ways that minimize exposure to moisture.
There is a chance that GM is right on both accounts, as the automaker would not have made up this claims out of thin air, but one does wonder why did GM introduce these additional safety features on the unspecified lines of trucks and large SUVs.
Data backed General Motors' claim that was showed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in which 44,000 airbag deployments in large GM pickups and SUVs that contained Takata inflators. None of them had ruptured, the documents provided by GM showed. However, the company has agreed with the NHTSA to recall the vehicles suspected of a fault.
As Automotive News notes, the recall would cost the automaker approximately $550 million, on top of the first 2.5 million vehicles it must fix, which will also bring additional costs.
The NHTSA has explained that the Takata airbag inflators without desiccant can become unsafe over time, especially when exposed to temperature variations or humidity. In other words, the solutions described by GM for the airbags in trucks and SUVs are not seen as foolproof by the safety organization.
Entirely separate from the Takata airbag recall, General Motors will also fix 307,000 Chevrolet Impala cars sold in the USA and Canada. We are writing about an older model Impala, of the 2009 and 2010 model years, which might suffer from the potential lack of an airbag deployment in the event of an accident.
According to GM, the front passenger seat frame on the affected model years might damage electrical wires that would short the airbag fuse. Two crashes and two injuries have been linked to the defect, but fortunately no deaths.
Furthermore, General Motors believes the entire batch of 6.8 million vehicles it must recall because of Takata airbag inflators does not require any fixes, as the automaker requested unique specifications for inflators at the time of order.
According to General Motors, the Takata inflators used in its trucks and large SUVs are designed to have different venting for hot gasses, and they were also installed in the vehicles in ways that minimize exposure to moisture.
There is a chance that GM is right on both accounts, as the automaker would not have made up this claims out of thin air, but one does wonder why did GM introduce these additional safety features on the unspecified lines of trucks and large SUVs.
Data backed General Motors' claim that was showed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in which 44,000 airbag deployments in large GM pickups and SUVs that contained Takata inflators. None of them had ruptured, the documents provided by GM showed. However, the company has agreed with the NHTSA to recall the vehicles suspected of a fault.
As Automotive News notes, the recall would cost the automaker approximately $550 million, on top of the first 2.5 million vehicles it must fix, which will also bring additional costs.
The NHTSA has explained that the Takata airbag inflators without desiccant can become unsafe over time, especially when exposed to temperature variations or humidity. In other words, the solutions described by GM for the airbags in trucks and SUVs are not seen as foolproof by the safety organization.
Entirely separate from the Takata airbag recall, General Motors will also fix 307,000 Chevrolet Impala cars sold in the USA and Canada. We are writing about an older model Impala, of the 2009 and 2010 model years, which might suffer from the potential lack of an airbag deployment in the event of an accident.
According to GM, the front passenger seat frame on the affected model years might damage electrical wires that would short the airbag fuse. Two crashes and two injuries have been linked to the defect, but fortunately no deaths.
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