General Motors is recalling Pontiac G8 vehicles from model years 2008 and 2009. In certain circumstances, the airbag systems in those cars can suffer from a slight delay, meaning that the airbags deploy more slowly and offer less protection during crashes.
According to a bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a dummy placed in the front seat of a G8 sustained excessive damage in a 30 mph frontal crash test. The cause? A 30 millisecond delay between the first and second stages of the airbag's deployment.
The problem appears to stem from the position of the front seat during that test, which was full-forward. The flaw affects some 38,444 G8 models manufactured between November 2, 2007 and January 22, 2009.
GM hasn't stated when it will begin notifying owners of the problem or when affected G8s will be repaired. However, the company has said that it will replace flawed sensing and diagnostic modules free of charge.
If you have questions in the meantime, please contact your local GM dealer, or call Pontiac directly at 800-620-7668. Alternately, owners can call the NHTSA at 888-327-4236 and reference recall #11V534000.
For more on this recall, check out Motor Authority and Family Car Guide.
Email This Page