GM Recalling 3.6 Million Vehicles for Airbag Software Defect

General Motors recently announced a recall involving 3.6 million vehicles for a software defect that could prevent airbags from deploying and seat belt pretensioners from operating. The recall is not related to the Takata airbag crisis.

The Problem:According to GM, the affected vehicles could have sensing and diagnostic modules with faulty software preventing the proper operation of airbags and pretensioners. GM submitted notes to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stating that certain driving conditions could cause the modules to enter a test mode, which deactivates the airbag and the pretensioners. The automaker discovered the issue after it received a report of a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado truck involved in a crash, but its airbags allegedly didn't deploy. The recall documents show no report of injuries or deaths related to the issue.

The Fix:GM will reprogram the module software free of charge. The recall doesn't affect the airbag or pretensioner hardware.

Number of Vehicles Potentially Affected:The recall includes 3.64 million vehicles in the U.S. including the 2014-2016 Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet SS, and Spark EV. Also included are the 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, Silverado 1500, Buick Encore, and GMC Sierra 1500. Finally, model-year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado HD, GMC Yukon/Yukon XL, Sierra HD, and Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV are also a part of the recall.

Source: GM