General Motors recalls 2.64m vehicles with airbag issue

*The airbag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

For vehicles equipped with non-desiccated passenger front inflators containing phase-stabilised ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant, General Motors (GM) is recalling 2,641,272 of such vehicles as follows:

Model year 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalades, Escalade ESVs, Escalade EXTs, Chevrolet Avalanches, Silverado 1500s, Suburbans, Tahoes, GMC Sierra 1500s, Yukons and Yukon XL vehicles.

Model year 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500s, Silverado 3500s, GMC Sierra 2500s & Sierra 3500s originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or “Zone A.”

Others are model year 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalades, Escalade ESVs, Escalade EXTs, Chevrolet Avalanches, Silverado 1500s, Suburbans, Tahoes, GMC Sierra 1500s, Yukons, Yukon XLs originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or “Zone B.”

The GM said the vehicles were equipped with non-desiccated passenger front inflators containing phase-stabilised ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant.

According to the automaker, the inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death, it noted.

In regard to what to do in rectifying the error, GM will notify affected owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator with an alternate one free of charge.

In the meantime, interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed beginning March 1, 2021, while the second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available.

Owners may contact Chevrolet Customer Service on (800) 222-1020; Cadillac Customer Service on (800) 458-8006; and GMC Customer Service on (800) 462-8782.

GM’s number for this recall is N212328760.