General Motors has issued a recall alert for nearly 1 million SUVs because their airbag inflators could explode, sending potentially deadly shrapnel into the car’s cabin.
Recalled models include the following:
- 2014-2017 Buick Enclave
- 2014-2017 Chevrolet Traverse
- 2014-2017 GMC Acadia
If the issue sounds familiar, that’s because it resembles the circumstances of the largest recall in automotive history. Since 2014, automakers have recalled tens of millions of cars to replace dangerous airbag inflators made by the now-defunct Takata company for a similar reason. But GM’s latest recall does not involve Takata inflators.
These parts were made by a company called ARC Automotive Inc.
The issue, however, seems almost identical to the one behind the Takata recall. GM tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “In these vehicles, the front-driver airbag inflator may contain a supplier manufacturing defect that may result in inflator rupture during deployment.” A ruptured inflator “may cause metal fragments to pass through the airbag and into the vehicle interior, which may result in injury or death to vehicle occupants.”
GM’s recall notice says the company is aware of three incidents in which an inflator may have exploded but does not say whether the incidents caused injuries or deaths.
Dealers will replace the inflator to fix the problem. Recall repairs are always free.
Drivers sometimes miss recall notices, so check our recall center to see if your car has been subject to any urgent repair orders.
