— General Motors is recalling more than 2,800 trucks and SUVs for problems with the driver's seat belts.
Included in the recall are 2014-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe and 2014-2015 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have received the wrong replacement pretensioner cable assemblies as part of previous recall repairs.
Those previous recalls occurred in 2016 for 1 million GM vehicles and in 2018 for 23,000 GM vehicles.
GM says the cables can wear out and separate over time based on how drivers move around in the seats.
The previous recall repairs had dealers modifying or replacing the flexible steel cables that connect the driver's seat belts to the outboard sides of the seats.
In addition to vehicles which may have received the wrong replacement seat belt pretensioner cable assemblies during the recalls, any following repair procedures may have included the wrong parts.
A GM dealer contacted corporate in January after finding problems with part numbers in the catalog and the service bulletin. General Motors opened an investigation to review all the data related to the previous recalls, repairs, parts and service records.
The automaker blames the entire problem on service parts catalogs that weren't updated correctly. Additionally, it's possible some technicians didn't follow GM's service procedures.
Drivers may not be very protected if the seat belt pretensioner cables break.
There are about 2,568 recalled vehicles in the U.S. and 249 in Canada.
The GM recall is expected to begin May 24, 2021, when dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners. The new pretensioner includes a revised casting to position the cable outboard which allows it to move rearward and out of the path of the driver entering the vehicle.
Chevrolet owners may call 800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 800-462-8782.
GM's recall reference number is N212330040.
