Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

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ColonelPanic
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Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by ColonelPanic »

FYI, another new passenger air bag recall. 2003-2007 model years.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=18V883

Received an e-mail from NHTSA about it this morning (they have a handy service where you can receive e-mail alerts.) Per the notice, the recall also includes vehicles that previously had the inflator replaced. Remember that the new inflators we received previously had the same propellant as the old ones they were replacing, thus the replacements now require replacing.

I checked GM's recall site and sure enough there is a passenger inflator recall notice dated today that applies to our VIN. My notice makes no mentions as to parts availability. After the holidays, I'll give my Chevy dealer a call and see if parts are available.

Stay safe!
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zbyers
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by zbyers »

Surprise Surprise. It's quite interesting how one of the biggest safety features in a car is also the biggest recall ever due to shoddy supply chain and shady companies.
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tpollauf
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by tpollauf »

Great. Now our dashboards will need removed again! More gouges, broken clips, rattles, scratches, etc. Still holding off on mine BUT the wife gets our mail before I do and she is questioning why I'm delaying the repair. She reminded me that SHE is usually the person in the passenger side of my Vibe. Will have to start surveying dealerships around me to see who has done the most and has had the fewest complaints.
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ihaveavibe
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by ihaveavibe »

I put in our '03 VIN in the GM site and says no applicable recalls. The info on the campaign seems to indicate Vibes built between Jan 18 '02 and sometime in June '07. Is this a phased recall?
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ColonelPanic
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by ColonelPanic »

Received the letter in the mail today for the recall.

I had already stopped by my Chevy dealer about it, they were going to order parts but said it could be 3 weeks or so. Haven't heard back from them yet, I'll check back in with them tomorrow.
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joatmon
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by joatmon »

Dealer says they've ordered parts for mine. Between my Tacoma, my Matrix and this Vibe, and maybe my previous Vibe, I've lost count of how many times I've had to go in for Takata airbag recalls.

Oh well, as much of a hassle it is to take the car back in, again, still better than having a claymore go off in the dash
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Bookworm
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by Bookworm »

joatmon wrote: Sat Feb 02, 2019 11:42 am Dealer says they've ordered parts for mine. Between my Tacoma, my Matrix and this Vibe, and maybe my previous Vibe, I've lost count of how many times I've had to go in for Takata airbag recalls.

Oh well, as much of a hassle it is to take the car back in, again, still better than having a claymore go off in the dash
Notice that they've never given anyone the option of just having the bombs removed from their car?
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by tpollauf »

Looks like they found me .... that is the 2004 Vibe GT that I got a year ago :o First airbag recall was done when the prior owner had it. Now I have to have it done. Should I wait for the THIRD recall and save the poor car from being butchered up again ???
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ColonelPanic
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by ColonelPanic »

tpollauf wrote: Sat Feb 02, 2019 3:41 pm Looks like they found me .... that is the 2004 Vibe GT that I got a year ago :o First airbag recall was done when the prior owner had it. Now I have to have it done. Should I wait for the THIRD recall and save the poor car from being butchered up again ???
Na, I would say go for it now. My letter states they're using a new air bag module NOT made by Takata so hopefully there won't be a third time! With the first gen's air bag not being neatly integrated into the dash, it should make for a much easier replacement. Hopefully less of a chance for damage. Obviously not foolproof, the dealer that did the interim repair on ours still managed to nick the edge of the dash surrounding the air bag. :roll:

Still waiting on parts to get mine done. I checked back with my dealer the other day, so far there doesn't seem to be any movement from GM for my parts order.
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joatmon
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by joatmon »

Dealer called me back, said that they couldn't order the parts until I made an appointment for the work. This doesn't make sense to me, but I made an appointment for next week, we'll see if they can actually get the parts in time.

For comparison, Toyota dealer had the parts in stock for my son's 03 Matrix, got that one taken care over the xmas holidays


Edit, dealer called me today, surprise, the part hasn't come in yet. They'll let me know and then make another appointment. I'm not holding my breath
Last edited by joatmon on Wed Feb 13, 2019 1:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bookworm
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by Bookworm »

Good thing I rarely have a passenger.

I _really_ don't understand the thought process behind "Bombs in the dashboard are a GREAT idea!", yet "Five point harnesses in road cars are ILLEGAL!"
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ColonelPanic
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by ColonelPanic »

Bookworm wrote: Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:57 am Good thing I rarely have a passenger.
As of now, those of us who have received the latest notice are warned to not allow anyone to ride in the passenger seat. Again.

Went through several months of that the first time around while waiting for the replacement inflator.
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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Bookworm
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by Bookworm »

ColonelPanic wrote: Tue Feb 05, 2019 3:57 pm
Bookworm wrote: Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:57 am Good thing I rarely have a passenger.
As of now, those of us who have received the latest notice are warned to not allow anyone to ride in the passenger seat. Again.

Went through several months of that the first time around while waiting for the replacement inflator.
I can see it now. "The passenger airbag can suddenly inflate at a critical moment, smashing a cigarette up your wife's nose."
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joatmon
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by joatmon »

Got my 03 dealt with today, It went mostly really well.

It took them under an hour. They didn't try to upsell me on thousands of dollars of "needed" repair work. There was a nice diner next door, had a great breakfast there instead of hanging in the dealers waiting room.

Mostly well. After it was done, a mile on my way home and I noticed that the airbag light was still on. Took the service guy a few minutes to fix. According to him, the airbag connector above the glove box has a special way of mechanically attaching to the dash frame, and on mine it was not quite locking into place. He said that its some sort of safety interlock, took him a few tries but he got it to lock in and the airbag light went out.

Could be true. Could be he just didn't get the basic airbag reconnected properly, I can't say. Seemed like a reasonable guy so I am inclined to believe him, but he could have just been covering up. Doesn't really matter though, the recall is done on my car, at least until they come up with another reason to mess with my airbags.
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tpollauf
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by tpollauf »

Got this in the mail the other day. Guess I should bite the bullet and get it done .... again! :o I like the way it is stated "the initial repair on your vehicle involved the use of temporary parts ". Say what ?????? ......... GRRRRRRRRRR...... :x

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Caretaker

Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by Caretaker »

..and free is underlined 5 times. You have to go :roll:
zbyers
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by zbyers »

Caretaker wrote: Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:08 am ..and free is underlined 5 times. You have to go :roll:
Reminds me of Bedtime Stories...

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Bookworm
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Re: Dec 2018 Passenger Inflator Recall

Post by Bookworm »

The initial repair was done with another takata airbag, as I recall - just one that hadn't been sitting in someone's hot car, being banged around for years.
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