GM expands airbag recall on Buick Verano, Chevy Cruze and Sonic

General Motors has expanded last fall's airbag recall to include an extra 3,896 model-year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevy Cruze and Sonic vehicles in the United States.

General Motors is recalling an additional 3,896 vehicles to an airbag recall that began last November, which included 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano vehicles. The expansion adds an additional 1,981 Cruze sedans, 1,077 Sonic subcompact vehicles and 409 Verano compact sedans. GM’s airbag recall also impacts 205 cars in Canada. The initial recall concerned 2,949 GM vehicles in the United States and 500 in Canada.

According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the driver side frontal airbag contains a shorting bar that may intermittently contact the airbag terminals. Such intermittent contact could cause the vehicle’s airbag not to deploy in the event of a crash. Consequently, the risk of injury to the driver is greatly increased.

General Motors will begin notifying Chevrolet and Buick customers of the recall on February 13. Authorized dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil on affected vehicles, free of charge. In the meantime, owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300 or visit GM’s Customer Car website for more recall information. Concerned drivers may also call the National Highways Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit them online at www.safercar.gov.

There are several factors that Chevrolet Cruze, Sonic and Buick Verano owners should keep in mind. Firstly, know where you airbag indicator lights are located. The vehicle’s dashboard will contain a Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) indicator as well as an airbag light indicator, which typically pictures a driver and an airbag. Once the vehicle is turned on, the airbag system will engage in a self-test, illuminating each lamp for about six seconds. If there are no problems, the light will turn off. If the light remains on, there may be an issue and you should contact your authorized GM dealer.

GM first became aware of its airbag problem last summer when 15 straight cars exhibited an airbag failure notice. The automaker was then able to trace the issue to a supplier plant problem. GM issued its initial recall before most defective models made it to showrooms. There have been no crashes or injuries reported, according to GM.

The airbag expansion recall comes in the same day as the automaker recalled 8,519 model-year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles in the United States over a rear suspension problem. According to GM, certain Malibu sedans may contain one or more improperly tightened rear suspension bolts, which may lead to loss of handling and increase the risk of a crash. The Malibu suspension recall also affects 1,060 models in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere overseas.

General Motors also issued a separate airbag recall last year on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco in 2012. The safety recall, which affected 4,304 Malibu sedans, was issued due to a sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) problem that could cause sudden side curtain airbag deployment.