Defective Safety Belts Prompt Huge Recall of GM Vehicles

General Motors Corp., of Detroit, MI, announced today that the company is voluntarily recalling 2009-2010 models of the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook to inspect second-row safety belts for damage that may cause them to latch improperly.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Recall Campaign, the second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when a user returns the seat back from a folded flat position to a seating position. If the buckle contacts the seat frame, additional effort is required to return the seat to a seating position. If sufficient force is applied, the user may push the buckle cover down the strap, exposing and partially depressing the red release button.

If this damage occurs, the buckle may not latch or unlatch and may appear to be jammed. In some instances, the buckle may appear to latch when the latch mechanism actually does not fully engage. Under these conditions, the safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.

“Because of the potential for a false-latch condition, we want customers to return their vehicles to have the recall repair performed as soon as possible,” said Jeff Boyer, GM executive director of safety in a statement.

GM engineers have been investigating the root cause of damaged safety belt buckles since January 2010, but are unaware of any crash injuries related to the defective part.
The recall affects 243,403 GM vehicles worldwide, with 207,210 of those in the United States.

GM will notify owners of the recalled vehicles by letters mailed August 31, 2010. Owners must take the vehicle to their GM dealer, where the dealer will modify the second row seat side trim shields and inspect the belt buckle for damage, replacing it free of charge if necessary.