Some of General Motors most-popular vehicles have a potential safety issue.
Due to a problem with the third-row seatbelts, General Motors is recalling hundreds of thousands of vehicles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). General Motors is recalling 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalades, Escalade ESVs, as well as Chevrolet Suburbans, Tahoes, GMC Yukons and Yukon XLs equipped with third-row seats.
In the left- or right-side third-row seat belt buckle assembly, the rivet holding the buckle to the mounting bracket may have been manufactured incorrectly. The third-row seatbelt system may not adequately restrain passengers in a collision, which could result in injuries.
Eight cases of seat belt buckle assemblies detaching are known to GM, according to information provided to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, although none of them led to accidents or injuries.
The fix
The third-row seat belt buckle assemblies will have their rivet head formation inspected by dealers. They will also replace the seat belt buckle assemblies for free if necessary. GM says owners whose vehicles are involved in the recall may be eligible for a rental car or courtesy transportation until the repair is performed.
GM is not anticipating many vehicles to be affected, but is advising owners of the vehicles to not use the third row until the vehicle has been inspected. If the vehicle is found to need repair, customers should not use the third row until the vehicle is fixed, GM said.
Uninspected vehicles in dealer inventory will not be sold to customers; only inspected vehicles will be sold or used as a demonstrator. For dealer vehicles that fail inspection, GM will add a floor plan/WCAP refund.
Owners will be notified by mail, with letters expected to be mailed Sept. 26. GM’s number for this recall is N222372380.
Is your vehicle recalled?
Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service (800-222-1020) Cadillac customer service (800-458-8006) or GMC customer service (800-462-8782) to see if their vehicle is affected. Owners can also find out by using their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) at https://my.gm.com/recalls or NHTSA’s website, https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/.
In particular, the recall covers Cadillac Escalade SUVs built from March 16, 2020, through May 27, 2022, Cadillac Escalade ESV SUVs manufactured from June 24, 2020, through May 27, 2022, Chevrolet Suburban SUVs assembled from Jan. 6, 2020, through May 27, 2022, Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs manufactured from Nov. 11, 2019, through May 27, 2022, GMC Yukon SUVs manufactured from Nov. 12, 2019, through May 27, 2022 and GMC Yukon XL SUVs built from Jan. 6, 2020, through May 27, 2022.
Second big announcement this week
The GM recall follows news earlier in the week that federal safety regulators opened a recall query Aug. 8 into model year 2013-2018 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans, exploring whether the front brake flex hoses may rupture prematurely, causing the brake system to lose pressure.
The federal agency has now received 50 reports of similar failures in these vehicles, including one instance where the failure caused a non-injury collision. That’s enough to open an investigation to see if there’s a problem with all potentially affected vehicles that would require a recall to replace faulty brake hoses.
The potential problem is an extension of a prior acknowledged safety problem from 2020 where the same flex hoses ruptured on model year 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX SUVs. NHTSA found “consistent localized failures of the internal reinforcement braid due to cyclic fatigue during suspension and steering articulations.”
Ford recalled the affected SUVs and replaced both front brake hoses with new parts featuring a revised braid material and performed a brake system bleed.
The current investigation falls outside the scope of the prior recall. If proven, the recall could extend to even more Ford/Lincoln vehicles. Many of the complaints registered with NHTSA allege the brake hoses are rupturing, leaking brake fluid and occurring with little to no warning. Leaked brake fluid can cause a soft brake pedal, increased pedal travel and/or extended braking distances.