General Motors Corp.: Air Bags › Frontal
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 28, 1996 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 48,689. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
DURING DEPLOYMENT OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG, THE AIR BAG FABRIC CAN SNAG ON A REINFORCEMENT INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, CAUSING THE EXPANDING AIR BAG TO LIFT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PAD AND THEN DEPLOY UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INSTEAD OF THROUGH THE DOOR IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.
The risk
IN A CRASH, THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER COULD RECEIVE MORE SEVERE INJURIES IF HE OR SHE CONTACTS A BROKEN REINFORCEMENT OR IF THE SNAGGING AFFECTS THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PADS AND, IF NECESSARY, INSTALL A PLASTIC EDGE PROTECTOR TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PAD REINFORCEMENT. ON CERTAIN EARLY-PRODUCTION VEHICLES, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PAD WILL BE REPLACED.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Buick Skylark | 85 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 1996 Oldsmobile Achieva | 87 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
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 96V211000.
Full record for the 1996 Buick Skylark → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →