The defect
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, THE OUTBOARD RELEASE HANDLE ON THE IMPACT-SIDE SECOND-ROW BUCKET SEAT MAY BE ACTUATED AND THE REAR LATCHES MAY UNLATCH EARLY IN A SIDE IMPACT CRASH. THIS WAS DISCOVERED IN A SIDE IMPACT TEST RUN BY GM, UNDER CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO NHTSA'S NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) SIDE IMPACT TEST.
The risk
IF THE REAR LATCHES OF THE SEAT RELEASE EARLY IN A SEVERE SIDE IMPACT, THE FRONT OUTBOARD LATCH MAY DISENGAGE AND INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT OF THE SEAT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE SEAT LATCH RELEASE HANDLE AND INSTALL A BLACK PLASTIC CAP OVER THE EXPOSED METAL STUD TO ELIMINATE THE SIDE IMPACT SAFETY CONCERN FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Uplander | 2005 |
| Pontiac Montana | 2005 |
| Saturn Relay | 2005 |
Components: SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Uplander | 2005 | 196 | 3 |
| Pontiac Montana | 2005 | 81 | 5 |
| Saturn Relay | 2005 | 91 | 2 |
Other seats recalls in 2005
17 of the 562 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2005 concerned the seats; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 05V512000 7 Nov 2005 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 05V480000 17 Oct 2005 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 05V474000 13 Oct 2005 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 05V463000 5 Oct 2005 | KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC. |
| 05V440000 29 Sept 2005 | COLLINS BUS CORPORATION |
| 05V377000 29 Aug 2005 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 05V351000 10 Aug 2005 | PIERCE MANUFACTURING |
| 05V256000 1 Jun 2005 | YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2005