This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Dashboard cracked adjacent to passenger airbag potential safety issue since there is brittle plastic in the area where airbag deployment would take place. This issue has been reported before by me and many others and yet no action has been taken by NHTSA or GM for a remedy. I'm skeptical about whether it's worth taking the time to make such reports to NHTSA when your response sounds more like it was written by GM corporate communications rather than the public safety advocate you are supposed to be. You claim there is insufficient data to take action. Model years affected are from 2007 through 2014 on numerous GM nameplates ie: Avalanche, Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon (XL), Sierra and escalade. Erring on the side of safety should, at least, prompt an investigation from the data already received. It should also be considered that this design and its implementation occurred when GM was being bailed out by tax payers and quite a few of them are now left holding the bag while they are potentially at risk..
Dashboard under front windshield prone to cracking. Initially this would sound like it is only a cosmetic issue. The problem is that typically the first crack occurs at the front/left corner of the front passenger airbag panel. As the vehicle ages under temperature fluctuation and uv exposure the initial crack widens and more develop. Also, from pictures taken of a 2007 GMC Yukon and 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche the airbag compartment cover appear to be shifting and lifting as the cracking continues. The degraded plastic surrounding the airbag cover could be a shrapnel hazard to vehicle occupants in such close proximity to an explosive airbag deployment. This could also diminish the effectiveness of the airbag if it is punctured. Clearly the material and construction of this part were not made to withstand the rigors of the installed environment so merely replacing a cracked part with the same new part will, at best, only be a temporary fix. GM needs to design this part properly so that will maintain it's integrity as a surround of the passenger airbag compartment.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pace, FL, USA