- GM is recalling thousands of cars over airbags that can rupture.
- The issue impacts the 2014 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Cruze.
- This is the third recall related to problematic airbags in the cars.
Airbags are back in the news as GM is recalling thousands of vehicles with roof-mounted airbags that can rupture. This can send sharp metal fragments into the cabin, which increases the risk of an injury.
The recall impacts 2,099 vehicles including the 2014 Buick Verano and 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. They’re equipped with roof-rail airbag inflators that may rupture at the inflator weld joint.
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According to the government agency, the “inflator chamber in these airbags may have contamination … that may lead to corrosion that, over time, may result in intergranular cracking near the weld joint.”
This can cause the inflator to rupture and only allow for partial inflation of the airbag in the event of a crash. If that wasn’t bad enough, “one or more sections of the inflator may enter or exit the vehicle” and “potentially cause injury.”
The components were made by Autoliv, with the recall campaign being an expansion of two previous recalls that involved nearly 30,000 vehicles. The population of the initial recalls was based on metallurgical analysis from three airbags that ruptured in the field.
GM and Autoliv continued running tests following the initial recalls and eventually found one airbag from outside the recall population with contamination levels that indicated a potential risk. Out of an abundance of caution, they decided to expand the recall.
To address the issue, dealership techs will replace the roof-rail airbag modules. Owner notification letters are expected to go out shortly before Christmas, and this should be a relatively simple fix.
