General Motors (GM), the Detroit-based automaker, has recently announced its plan to recall almost 1 million SUVs within the United States due to a potential hazard linked to the driver's airbag inflator. The component may risk explosion during deployment, causing safety concerns.
The recall impacts 994,763 vehicles, including Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia models manufactured from 2014 to 2017, all equipped with modules produced by ARC Automotive Inc. As a corrective measure, dealers are set to replace the driver's airbag module in the affected vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed an incident involving a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse driver from Michigan. The driver experienced a crash during which the front-driver airbag inflator ruptured upon deployment, leading to facial injuries. Upon inspection on April 25, it was confirmed that the front driver airbag inflator had indeed ruptured in the vehicle.
GM is currently conducting an investigation into the issue, with support from an external engineering firm. Emphasizing the company's commitment to customer safety, GM stated, "GM is taking this expanded field action out of an abundance of caution and with the safety of our customers as our highest priority."
GM has acknowledged two prior instances of ARC-manufactured airbag inflator ruptures in 2015 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles, which led to two smaller recalls of around 3,000 ARC inflators. Interestingly, all three rupture incidents in Chevrolet Traverse vehicles involved the same inflator variant.
In a public letter released on Friday, ARC noted that neither they nor GM have yet determined the root cause of these ruptures. ARC is currently evaluating the extent of GM’s recall.
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