General Motors Corp.: Child Seat
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jan 20, 1999 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 2,090. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH INTEGRATED DUAL CHILD SEATS. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY BE MISSING A SEAT BELT RETRACTOR CLUTCH SPRING AND/OR PAWL SPRING IN THE CHILD SEAT. IF THE CLUTCH SPRING WAS MISSING, THE SEAT BELT WOULD LOCK IN THE RETRACTED POSITION AND COULD NOT BE USED. IF THE PAWL SPRING WAS MISSING, THE SEAT BELT RESTRAINT WOULD CONTINUALLY PLAY OUT AND WOULD NOT LOCK.
The risk
THESE CONDITIONS COULD INCREASE THE OCCUPANT'S RISK OF INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SEAT BELTS ON THE CHILD SEATS, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE CHILD SEAT.
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Chevrolet Astro | 241 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| 1998 GMC Safari | 89 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| 1997 Chevrolet Astro | 360 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
| 1997 GMC Safari | 135 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| 1996 Chevrolet Astro | 263 | 7 | 1 | 17 |
| 1996 GMC Safari | 139 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
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 99V009000.
Full record for the 1998 Chevrolet Astro → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →