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NHTSA Announces Three New Safety Recalls, 120k Vehicles Affected

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been pretty quiet since August 21st, when it announced a recall for 2014 and 2015 model year nameplates such as the Chrysler 200 and Jeep Cherokee. But the agency returned today with three new campaigns, with one involving a fire truck.
2013 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 1 photo
Photo: Chevrolet
Yes, you heard that right - a damn fire truck is recalled. As it turns out, one Sutphen Minitower manufactured in January 2013 is called back for IMMI-branded L9 seat belt buckles. The NHTSA tells that when the button is pressed to release the seat belt, the latch plate can become partially engaged with the buckle, making the seat belt difficult to unlatch. This condition fails to conform to the requirements of Vehicle Safety Standard Number 209 - "Seat Belt Assemblies."

The second safety campaign covers 106 units of the 2014 Buick Regal, Cadillac XTS, Chevy Camaro and Impala. NHTSA informs that these cars suffer from improperly torqued fasteners that may cause the steering intermediate shaft and the steering gear, lower control arm and the lower ball joint to separate. That translates to a total loss of steering, which is not very pleasant a situation to find oneself in, especially when the vehicle is driven at speeds higher than 50 mph.

And here's the big one: 120k cars are recalled over a problem with the turn signal bulbs. Certain 2011 - 2013 Buick Regals and 2013 Chevy Malibus are equipped with two turn signal bulbs in each front turn signal that are prone to an electrical glitch. If one of the two front turn signal bulbs burn out in either front turn signal lamp, there is no indication to the driver. So these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Vehicle Safety Standard #108 - "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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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