The largest automaker in the United States of America has recalled a handful of 2011 to 2012 model year Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Tahoe, and Suburban vehicles due to improperly manufactured airbag inflators. The driver airbag modules in question were produced with ARC Automotive inflators for use as replacements for the Takata-supplied airbag modules that originally equipped the 2007 to 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and the 2007 to 2014 model year Tahoe and Suburban.
According to documents filed by the Detroit-based automaker with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only 6 vehicles have been equipped with suspect airbag inflators. A manufacturing defect may prevent the proper deployment of the second stage in high-speed crashes, therefore increasing the risk of injury.
Because of said manufacturing defect, said inflators don't fill the airbag as quickly and completely as intended for second-stage deployment. In this context, second stage means that the airbag is inflated at high pressure to protect the occupant's chest and abdomen in the most severe of crashes. The first stage is for head and neck protection.
The document attached below lists ARC Automotive Inc. of Knoxville, Tennessee, as the supplier of the entire driver airbag module, which bears part number 20928235 in GM's parts system. General Motors is currently investigating the root cause of the improper second-stage deployment.
December 1, 2023 is when General Motors kicked off the investigation. The automaker was prompted to investigate after being notified of a driver airbag inflator that failed to deploy the second stage during laboratory testing. Come January 2, 2024, GM was notified of two additional inflators that failed laboratory testing. The automaker isn't aware of any field incidents related to improper deployment.
Photo: Chevrolet
Dealers have already been instructed to replace said airbag modules in full, not only the inflator. The suspect modules have to be returned to Autoliv. Owners will be notified by first-class mail no later than March 25, 2024. The attached report doesn't mention any VINs whatsoever. Owners can try to enter the 17-character VIN on the NHTSA's website, but do bear in mind that GM's Global Warranty Management system is more up to date. Otherwise put, you're better off contacting your nearest dealer to find out whether your GMT900-series pickup truck or SUV is recalled or not.
The GMT900 platform was replaced by the K2XX series, which General Motors ultimately replaced with the T1XX. Developed specifically for large trucks and sport utility vehicles, the T1XX underpins everything from the lowly Silverado 1500 WT to the uber-expensive Escalade-V.
For the 2024 model year, the light-duty 'Rado carries a starting price of $36,800 in the United States of America. It's good for up to 13,300 pounds (6,033 kilograms) in terms of towing and 2,260 pounds (1,025 pounds) for payload. The Chevrolet Tahoe is obviously pricier, with MSRPs kicking off at $56,200 for the LS trim level with 2WD.
The Suburban is $3,000 more due to its longer wheelbase. Both the Tahoe and Suburban were refreshed for model year 2025, but alas, pricing information isn't available for the time being.
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. Full profile
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