To provide better
service in alerting the
American people to
unsafe, hazardous or
defective products, six
federal agencies with
vastly different
jurisdic tions have
joined together to
create www.recalls.gov
-- a "one stop shop" for
U.S. Government recalls.
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Contact: NHTSA Public Affairs, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs@dot.gov
WASHINGTON – General Motors (GM) reports enough parts are available to fix all the faulty ignition switches that are covered by its recent recall of more than two million vehicles. NHTSA urges owners of unrepaired GM vehicles to immediately contact their local dealer to arrange a service appointment. GM reports that many dealers will help owners get their vehicles remedied after work and on the weekends.
There are nearly 1 million vehicles with these faulty ignition switches still in the vehicle, creating a danger of the airbags not deploying in the event of a crash. The involved vehicles are all 2003-2007 Saturn ION, 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky. Owners can also confirm whether their individual vehicle needs to be repaired under this recall or any other GM recall by using NHTSA’s free VIN look-up tool on safercar.gov.
Vehicle owners should contact their local dealers immediately to schedule an appointment to get the final remedy. Until the affected vehicle is fixed, owners should follow all of the interim safety steps advised by GM and keep in mind that the use of a single key is not a long term solution to the this serious safety problem. For additional information, owners can visit www.gmignitionupdate.com or call 1-800-222-1020.
At NHTSA’s direction, GM ramped up its production of replacement ignition switches in order to complete production of replacement parts ahead of its original goal of early November. NHTSA also pushed the automaker to take steps to maximize the number of vehicle owners who bring in their vehicles for repair, including targeted outreach to non-English speakers, maintaining up-to-date information on its website as required by the consent order, and a combination of traditional and social media outreach, financial or other incentives, phone calls, and other approaches. Consequently, GM has repaired nearly 60 percent of the affected vehicle population covered under the recall, but many others remain. Moving forward, NHTSA will continue to push the automaker to keep up the momentum and get the remaining vehicles fixed promptly.
General Motors has notified NHTSA that it is recalling vehicles because a defective ignition switch can affect the safe operation of airbag systems.
This is a serious safety issue that should be addressed immediately by following GM’s recommendation to "use only the ignition key with nothing else on the key ring" and getting the repairs as soon as consumers receive final notification from GM.
Owners can also contact GM for information on how to request courtesy transportation.
These recalled GM vehicles include:
All 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
2007-2010 Pontiac G5
2003-2007 Saturn Ion
2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR
2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice
2007-2010 Saturn Sky
NHTSA urges owners of these recalled vehicles to contact GM immediately and to access additional information provided by the company on their corporate web site.
You may also contact the GM Customer Engagement Center at 1-800-222-1012.
You may also contact customer service for your specific GM model:
Chevrolet: 1-800-222-1020 (TTY 1-800-833-2438)
Pontiac: 1-800-762-2737 (TTY 1-800-833-7668)
Saturn: 1-800-553-6000 (TTY 1-800-833-6000)
Again, until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.
View GM-supplied documents regarding the three recalls:
At the insistence of the U.S. Department of Transportation,
Takata has determined that a defect exists in some of its air bag inflators.
Takata has agreed to a national recall of certain types of frontal driver and
passenger side air bag inflators used in vehicles manufactured by BMW, Chrysler,
Daimler Trucks, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru
and Toyota. These inflators were made with a propellant that can degrade over
time and has led to ruptures that have been blamed for six deaths worldwide. The
action expands the number of vehicles to be recalled for defective Takata
inflators to nearly 34 million.
NHTSA is waiting for the automakers to supply a complete
list of affected vehicles. As this information becomes available, NHTSA will
update this site to provide the American public with this information.
Once manufacturers identify which vehicles are affected,
use NHTSA’s
VIN search tool to confirm whether your
individual vehicle is under recall, and search by VIN on a
specific vehicle-maker's site.
It’s important to check periodically because it’s possible your VIN might not be
entered into a manufacturer’s system for several weeks after a recall is first
announced. If your vehicle is affected, follow-up with the manufacturer
to get interim guidance and get your vehicle fixed as soon as parts are
available.
NHTSA Statement on Takata Air Bag Inflators
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received notification from BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota that they are conducting limited regional recalls to address a possible safety defect involving Takata brand air bag inflators.
"Today’s action is influenced by a NHTSA investigation into six reports of air bag inflator ruptures, all of which occurred in Florida and Puerto Rico.
"Based on the limited data available at this time, NHTSA supports efforts by automakers to address the immediate risk in areasthat have consistently hot, humid conditions over extended periods of time.
Consumers impacted by the recalls should have their vehicles serviced promptly once they receive notification from their vehicle manufacturer. NHTSA remains in close communication with the supplier and automakers to gather additional data and will take appropriate action based on our findings.”
This offers important information to help you stay safe in a vehicle with air bags.
Frontal air bags have saved 25,782 lives between 1987 and 2008. However, they are supplemental safety devices. Always wear your seat belt.
Place children 12 and younger in the back seat. The rear seat is the safest for children.
If you have an air bag ON-OFF switch, check its position every time you enter your vehicle. One survey shows that 48% of these ON-OFF switches were incorrectly left ON for child passengers under age 13.
All major light vehicle and motorcycle manufacturers are required to provide VIN search capability for uncompleted recalls on their websites. This data must be updated at least weekly.
Consumers can find their vehicle identification number by looking at the dashboard on the driver's side of the vehicle, or on the driver’s side door post where the door latches when it is closed. Determining whether there is a recall that consumers need to take action on is easy.
After entering the VIN number into the field, results will appear if the consumer has an open recall on their vehicle, and if there are none, owners will see "No Open Recalls." Owners can also contact the NHTSA Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 for assistance.
Owners may not always know their recalled vehicle still needs to be repaired. NHTSA's new search tool lets you enter a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to quickly learn if a specific vehicle has not been repaired as part of a safety recall in the last 15 years.
What the VIN search tool covers:
Safety recalls that are incomplete on a vehicle
Safety recalls conducted over the past 15 calendar years
Safety recalls conducted by major light auto automakers, including motorcycle manufacturers.
What the VIN search tool does NOT cover:
Completed safety recall information
Manufacturer customer service or other non-safety recall campaigns
International vehicles
Very recently announced safety recalls for which not all VINs have been identified
Safety recalls that are more than 15 years old (except where a manufacturer offers more coverage)
Safety recalls conducted by small vehicle manufacturers, including some ultra-luxury brands and specialty applications
NOTE: Recall information provided through this VIN lookup tool is provided by the manufacturer conducting the recall. NHTSA does not record VIN information or results provided through the VIN lookup tool.
