General Motors has issued two serious airbag-related recalls that cover 6,910 vehicles. The U.S. government warns the defects can cause “serious injury or death.”
The larger recall affects 4,125 driver airbag inflators that can rupture and send sharp metal fragments into the cabin. That’s less of a safety device and more of a fragmentation grenade, though GM would never phrase it that way.
Affected models include the 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and XTS, plus the 2015-2016 ATS, CTS, and SRX. The inflators came from ARC Automotive, a supplier that also faced a similar recall with Hyundai last year.
Related: Tesla Crashes Into Florida Pond
GM traced the problem to a “supplier manufacturing defect that may result in inflator rupture during deployment.” Specifically, the inflators used propellant from two lots that may contain speckled low density propellant. That, the company says, “increases the likelihood of a high-pressure deployment that can lead to an inflator rupture.”
A GM investigator found the issue after analyzing propellant from D5 airbag inflators collected in the field. That work followed an earlier recall tied to speckled low density propellant found inside MC inflators.
It said it knew of one field rupture and one test rupture involving MC inflators, but none for D5 inflators. Still, it recovered and cut open five D5 units and found one with a “high occurrence” of speckled low density propellant.
Related: Windshield Repair in Oceanside
The fix: GM will replace the driver airbag with one that doesn’t use the suspect propellant. There is no remedy available yet. An interim letter goes out in July, and a notification with a real fix will follow later.
The second recall covers 2,785 trucks: the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, plus the 2019 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500. Their roof rail airbag inflators have end caps that might detach or sidewalls that could rupture. If that happens, compressed gas escapes and components can be “propelled into the vehicle,” potentially injuring occupants.
These inflators came from Joyson Safety Systems. The recall started after a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado “experienced a potential rupture of the right side roof rail airbag” while parked and empty.
Related: Car Servicing Guide: How Often Should You Service Your Car?
This latest action expands a previous campaign covering 2,819 vehicles. GM isn’t certain what causes the problem, but believes two manufacturing defects are to blame. One is a small crack in the inflator canister introduced during production. The other is “a small amount of water inadvertently being left in the canister after the washing process,” which allows corrosion to weaken the pressurized canister over time.
Dealers will replace both roof rail airbag modules. Owners should get notifications starting in early July.
Some safety advocates have questioned whether GM and suppliers like ARC Automotive moved fast enough on the inflator issue, given the earlier Hyundai recall and the known defect pattern. NHTSA has been pushing for broader oversight of airbag propellant quality since the Takata disaster. The agency’s current stance: these inflators should be treated as a serious risk until proven otherwise.