General Motors Recalls 47,000 Units Of Chevy Caprice And Pontiac G8 Over Seat Belt Cables

General Motors is recalling certain units of the Chevrolet Caprice and Pontiac G8 sedans over a potential issue with the vehicles’ seat belt cables.

The defect: in affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. This repeated bending may result in the cable breaking.

The hazards: if the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Affected vehicles:

Notes:

• Both, the Chevy Caprice and Pontiac G8 ride on GM’s Zeta vehicle architecture
• The Chevrolet Caprice is sold exclusively to police units as a new vehicle. The vehicle is, however, available to civilian consumers in the second-hand market

Number of vehicles affected: 47,024.

The fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt tensioner assembly which includes the steel cable, free of charge. These replacement parts reposition the tensioner cable out of the path of entry into the vehicle and uses a more flexible cable, set at a more upright angle. GM has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners should: customers looking to find out if their vehicle is included in this Chevrolet and Pontiac recall should visit recalls.gm.com. There, owners will be able to enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see any open recalls as well as customer satisfaction programs. If the vehicle is part of the recall, customers should take it to a General Motors dealer.

Owners may contact GM customer service with questions by using the following information.

Contacts:

• Chevrolet Customer Service: 1-800-222-1020
• Pontiac Customer Service: 1-800-762-2737
• GM Recall Number: 15206
• NHTSA Toll Free: 1-888-327-4236
• NHTSA (TTY): 1-800-424-9153
• NHTSA Website: www.safecar.gov
• NHTSA Recall Number: 15V399000