GM recalls 45,000 cars over seat-belt concerns

Brand-new Chevrolet cars sit on the lot at F.H. Dailey Chevrolet on May 15, 2014, in San Leandro, California, in the United States. General Motors’ Australian subsidiary, Holden, recalled more than 45,000 Commodores today over a potential seat-belt fault, following withdrawals by rivals Toyota and Hyundai due to various issues last week. JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES/AFP  

In Summary

• The recall, which affects 41,933 cars in Australia and another 3,744 in New Zealand — almost all of the new model Commodores that went on sale last year — was precautionary, the company said.

By AFP
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SYDNEY, Monday

General Motors’ Australian subsidiary, Holden, recalled more than 45,000 Commodores today over a potential seat-belt fault, following withdrawals by rivals Toyota and Hyundai due to various issues last week.


 

The recall, which affects 41,933 cars in Australia and another 3,744 in New Zealand — almost all of the new model Commodores that went on sale last year — was precautionary, Holden said.

“There have been no confirmed reports of this condition in the field. The issue was raised from an internal investigation following an isolated instance at the plant,” a spokesman for the firm said in a statement.

“There have been no reports of any accidents or injuries resultant from this condition.”

WIRING HARNESS

Holden said the pre-tensioner — a mechanism that tightens a seat belt when a crash occurs — of certain MY14 VF Commodore and WN Caprice models could make contact with a bolt at the base of the seatbelt buckle assembly, wearing it out.

“In this circumstance, if the pre-tensioner wiring harness develops wear as a result of contacting the bolt, the airbag warning light may illuminate on the instrument cluster and there is a risk that the pre-tensioner may not deploy in the event of an accident,” Holden said.

“All other safety devices, including airbags, are unaffected by this condition.”

The recall is Holden’s fourth in Australia this year, with the previous ones involving brake lights, manual drive shafts and transmission mounts of vehicles.

Last week, South Korea’s Hyundai recalled 140,000 vehicles in the United States and Puerto Rico over an airbag issue, while the world’s biggest carmaker Toyota recalled 520,000 vehicles over a range of issues.

In April, Toyota Australia pulled back almost 300,000 cars as part of a global recall of 6.39 million vehicles worldwide by the Japanese firm over various concerns.