The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured April 8, 2010, to October 11, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. This repeated bending may result in the cable breaking.
The risk
If the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the outboard lap anchor mounting bracket and inspect the flexible steel cable, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on November 16, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15031.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Malibu | 2011, 2012 |
Components: SEAT BELTS
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 Malibu | 2011 | 978 | 3 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 2012 | 907 | 2 |
Other seat belts recalls in 2015
26 of the 863 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2015 concerned the seat belts; General Motors LLC filed 272 campaigns in all.
| 15V876000 23 Dec 2015 | General Motors LLC |
| 15V867000 22 Dec 2015 | Ford Motor Company |
| 15V848000 17 Dec 2015 | Jayco, Inc. |
| 15V820000 7 Dec 2015 | Polaris Industries, Inc. |
| 15V806000 30 Nov 2015 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 15V780000 23 Nov 2015 | Tesla Motors, Inc. |
| 15V694000 23 Oct 2015 | Halcore Group, Inc. |
| 15V657000 14 Oct 2015 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2015