General Motors recalls 1,750 vehicles in the US and Canada
General Motors has issued a recall for around 1,750 vehicles in the United States and Canada over concerns of potentially defective driver airbags. The vehicles being recalled include the new-model Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon pickup trucks and Chevrolet Malibu sedans. General Motors has even issued a stop-sales order for these three vehicles.
"Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the second stage of the driver frontal airbag may not deploy properly in certain high-speed crashes. The second stage of the inflator may not fill the air bag as completely and as quickly as designed, which could lead to an increased risk of injury to the driver," the company said in a notice issued to dealers.
The company has also said that some of the 2016 models will be recalled in Mexico. However, the number of vehicles hasn't been specified yet. General Motors hasn't revealed the name of the supplier of the potentially faulty air bag module. However, it has said that Takata isn't the supplier. Takata Corp, a Japan-based automotive safety equipment supplier, has been embroiled in a controversy which has seen 14 carmakers recall 60 million vehicles globally to replace defective air bag inflators.
Tom Wilkinson, spokeman for General Motors said the recall is not expected to significantly affect sales of the popular midsize pickups or midsize sedan. He also said that any delay in sales is expected to be short-lived. In May 2014, the company paid a 35 million dollar fine to fix a US Transportation Department probe into its recall of 2.59 million vehicles with faulty ignition switches that were allegedly responsible for loss of life during accidents.
Carmakers recalling vehicles due to manufacturing defect isn't new. However, it's a good move on their part to voluntarily recall vehicles with potentially faulty parts. Also, identifying faulty bits is one part and ensuring that they are replaced on all new and old cars is another part which requires massive effort. It's good to see most carmakers behaving responsibly and going all out to reach out to owners of affected vehicles to ensure that the affected parts get replaced.
