GM fixes faulty airbag inflators in nearly 1 million SUVs in the US

Buick Enclave. (Source: gmauthority)

American automaker General Motors (GM) announced on May 12 that it will recall nearly 1 million sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in the US to fix a faulty airbag inflator, as the driver's side airbag inflator can explode during operation.

994,763 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia vehicles from the 2014 through 2017 model years with control systems made by ARC Automotive Inc. will be returned to the factory. GM dealers will replace the driver airbag module.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse driver in Michigan was involved in an accident when the driver's front airbag inflator ruptured during deployment, causing facial injuries.

An inspection on April 25 confirmed that the driver's front airbag inflator had ruptured.

GM said it is still investigating the issue with the assistance of a third-party engineering firm. “GM is taking proactive action because customer safety is our top priority,” the automaker said.

GM was aware of two incidents of ARC-made airbag inflator ruptures in 2015 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and conducted two previous recalls of approximately 3,000 ARC inflators.

A total of three incidents of component ruptures in the Chevrolet Traverse were linked to the same airbag inflator assembly. ARC noted in a letter released the same day that neither ARC nor GM had determined the root cause of those incidents. ARC said it was evaluating the scope of GM’s recall.

GM previously said it would stop producing the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle (EV) later this year as it shifts to producing zero-emission trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) built on a new battery platform.

GM CEO Mary Barra told investors that now is the time to plan to end production of the Chevrolet Bolt electric car, and that this will happen by the end of this year.

The largest US automaker sold 38,120 Bolt EVs in 2022, up from 24,828 in 2011 and 19,700 in the first three months of 2023.

The Bolt, GM's first mass-market EV, still accounts for more than 90% of the company's total EV sales in the US.

The Bolt's predecessor was the Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid (gasoline and electric) vehicle that GM discontinued in 2019. In the late 1990s, GM built and leased about 1,100 Chevrolet Volts.

The Bolt, which starts at $26,500 and qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit, has been repeatedly touted by the U.S. government as an example of an affordable electric vehicle./.

Minh Trang/vietnamplus.vn

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