General Motors Corp.: Air Bags › Frontal
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 31, 2006 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 794. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN VEHICLES ORIGINALLY BUILT WITH CLOTH SEATS THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC AIR BAG PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM AND LATER REUPHOLSTERED WITH AFTERMARKET LEATHER SEAT COVER KITS ARE INVOLVED. TESTING HAS INDICATED THAT THE AFTERMARKET LEATHER SEAT COVERS CAN CAUSE THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM TO MALFUNCTION.
The risk
IF THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS, THE FRONT AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE MAY BE DISABLED WHEN IT SHOULD BE ENABLED, OR ENABLED WHEN IT SHOULD BE DISABLED. IN EITHER CASE, IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH THAT REQUIRES AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, A FRONT PASSENGER'S LEVEL OF INJURY MAY BE INCREASED.
The remedy
BECAUSE A REPLACEMENT LEATHER SEAT COVER THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM IS NOT AVAILABLE, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) WILL REPURCHASE THESE VEHICLES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS STATED IN GM'S LETTER TO OWNERS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2006. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT GM AT 1-877-477-1022 TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF REPURCHASING THEIR VEHICLE.
16 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 Buick Lacrosse | 299 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
| 2006 Buick Rendezvous | 89 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 2006 Chevrolet HHR | 1,006 | 6 | 8 | 47 |
| 2006 Chevrolet Malibu | 1,118 | 9 | 6 | 42 |
| 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer | 1,108 | 8 | 59 | 29 |
| 2006 GMC Envoy | 352 | 9 | 24 | 6 |
| 2006 Hummer H3 | 361 | 4 | 27 | 10 |
| 2006 Pontiac G6 | 1,910 | 7 | 11 | 90 |
| 2005 Buick Lacrosse | 315 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 2005 Buick Rendezvous | 138 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe | 293 | 7 | 14 | 9 |
| 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer | 1,466 | 2 | 25 | 59 |
| 2005 GMC Envoy | 488 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
| 2005 GMC Sierra | 117 | 11 | 2 | 3 |
| 2005 Pontiac Montana | 81 | 7 | 3 | 7 |
| 2004 Chevrolet Silverado | 622 | 15 | 10 | 56 |
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 06V417000.
Full record for the 2006 Buick Lacrosse → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →