More Than 1M Chevy, GMC Trucks Recalled Over Seatbelt Defect

Image courtesy of patshierhea

Properly secured seatbelts can prevent someone from being thrown around a vehicle in the event of a crash, potentially saving their lives. That may not be the case for nearly a million General Motors pickup trucks, which contain seatbelts that may not actually hold the driver in a crash. 

GM announced Friday that it would recall 895,232 model year 2014 to 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups in the U.S., and 142,750 in Canada, Latin America, and other areas.

According to the recall announcement, which has yet to be posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the vehicle can wear and separate over time as a result of the someone repeatedly bending the cable when entering the seat.

If the cable separates, the belt can become loose, and in the event of a crash may adequately protect the driver or passengers.

GM says it discovered the issue after analyzing warranty data. So far, there have been no reports of injuries related to the problem.

Owners of affected vehicles will be noticed and dealers will enlarge an opening and install a bracket on the cable tensioner, and if necessary, replace the tensioner assembly.

In addition to recalling the vehicles, GM says it has ordered dealers to stop the sale of 3,000 new 2014 and 2015 trucks until the cables can be repaired.

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