General Motors Corp.: Seats › Mid/Rear Assembly
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Feb 18, 2005 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 18,850. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, THE OUTBOARD RELEASE HANDLE ON THE IMPACT-SIDE SECOND-ROW BUCKET SEAT MAY BE ACTUATED AND THE REAR LATCHES MAY UNLATCH EARLY IN A SIDE IMPACT CRASH. THIS WAS DISCOVERED IN A SIDE IMPACT TEST RUN BY GM, UNDER CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO NHTSA'S NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) SIDE IMPACT TEST.
The risk
IF THE REAR LATCHES OF THE SEAT RELEASE EARLY IN A SEVERE SIDE IMPACT, THE FRONT OUTBOARD LATCH MAY DISENGAGE AND INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT OF THE SEAT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE SEAT LATCH RELEASE HANDLE AND INSTALL A BLACK PLASTIC CAP OVER THE EXPOSED METAL STUD TO ELIMINATE THE SIDE IMPACT SAFETY CONCERN FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
3 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Chevrolet Uplander | 196 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 2005 Pontiac Montana | 81 | 7 | 3 | 7 |
| 2005 Saturn Relay | 91 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 05V061000.
Full record for the 2005 Chevrolet Uplander → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →