GM to recall 180,000+ Chevy HHRs

[1999 White C5 Coupe]

Originally Posted by PhishPhood

So why are there so many recalls recently by every manufacturer over some issues that could be seen to be inconsequential?
..Dodge had a recall in 2006 for cupholders
..Toyota had a recall in both 2006 and 2007 for floor mats
..Honda had a recall of 1 million vehicles in 2005 I believe for a misprint in its owner's manual.

The reason is here...http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/annou...ony/TREAD.html

After the Ford/Firestone Firestorm, Congress passed the TREAD Act to try to ensure that no companies were able to circumvent the Govt's oversight in the way that Ford did during the 90s.

Now if you are the one to hide a problem they go after you and you might go to jail and you might lose your pension and home and all your assets ( note civil penalties ). So now if there's a risk of injury or death - recall it.. get it out into the public, get it fixed and get it into the past - quickly.

The stigma of recalls is going to be a thing of the past soon. The 'Scarlett Letter' issue will mean little or nothing. Most of these recalls are done during a normal service visit and involve no inconvenience to the owner. Every vehicle on the road may be recalled for something or other. There may even be an automated 'Recall' light on the dash that receives a signal from the mothership when one of these is instituted. OnStar is already in place to implement this. Just plug your USB cable into the available USB port in the new vehicle and download the notice to your phone or Blackberry or Palm or laptop. It stays on until the tech turns it off with a scantool.

How do you know that "Most of these recalls are done during a normal service visit and involve no inconvenience to the owner."????????

Safety recalls should be RARE - This one involves several model years that do not meet crash test criteria. Why wasn't this determined BEFORE the models were manufactured and sold?

My 1999 Corvette had two safety recalls: 1. Seat belt jamming (which I experienced) and 2. Defective steering column lock module - prone to failing to unlock and immobilizing the car (which I also experienced and was stranded). BOTH visits involved inconvenience and the repairs were not done during a "normal service visit". The car had to be towed for the second problem. Both safety recalls for this car involved poor design, quality and manufacturing - not new technology.

I recently ordered and purchased a 2008 Impala LTZ. With less than 1,000 miles on the car, the DIC displayed "service air bag" and the chime sounded. When I returned to the dealer (immediately, as instructed in the owner's manual), there was already a TSB instructing the dealer how to fix the defect. I should have been notified BEFORE the system malfunctioned and had to be repaired on an emergency basis. Ideally, the car should have been manufactured RIGHT the first time.

Auto manufacturers (not just GM) continue to have massive SAFETY recalls due to poor design, manufacturing and quality.

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by 1999 White C5 Coupe

How do you know that "Most of these recalls are done during a normal service visit and involve no inconvenience to the owner."????????

Safety recalls should be RARE - This one involves several model years that do not meet crash test criteria. Why wasn't this determined BEFORE the models were manufactured and sold?

My 1999 Corvette had two safety recalls: 1. Seat belt jamming (which I experienced) and 2. Defective steering column lock module - prone to failing to unlock and immobilizing the car (which I also experienced and was stranded). BOTH visits involved inconvenience and the repairs were not done during a "normal service visit". The car had to be towed for the second problem. Both safety recalls for this car involved poor design, quality and manufacturing - not new technology.

I recently ordered and purchased a 2008 Impala LTZ. With less than 1,000 miles on the car, the DIC displayed "service air bag" and the chime sounded. When I returned to the dealer (immediately, as instructed in the owner's manual), there was already a TSB instructing the dealer how to fix the defect. I should have been notified BEFORE the system malfunctioned and had to be repaired on an emergency basis. Ideally, the car should have been manufactured RIGHT the first time.

Auto manufacturers (not just GM) continue to have massive SAFETY recalls due to poor design, manufacturing and quality.

I guess I should have be more precise in stating, for the recalls I've encountered ( 4 on four different vehicles over the last 3 years ). None of them gave me even a 2nd thought at any time and all were fixed during a normal service trip.

Since vehicles are far more complex now than in the past and the scrutiny on the automakers is a lot more detailed than in the past...we will see a lot more recalls then ever before IMO. Recalling 1- 5 million vehicles per manufacturer per year might be a good estimate. Under a 1 million vehicles recalled would be a good year.

Should they catch everything first?..sure in a perfect world. But these are just man-made objects and not made by divine hands. And no official want's to go to jail or be hauled in front of Congress and made to visit parapalegic victims in their homes to apologize for not doing something to correct a potential defect.

[Minnesota Nice]

This is pathetic. I'm happy they addressed it, but if it failed side-impact tests without side airbags, it should have never, ever been sold.

That was the primary reason I didn't buy the Cobalt back in 2006: no standard side airbags? Pass. My safety is not an "optional accessory" in a vehicle. I'm happy they've made them standard since.

Still, this is embarassing. This vehicle should have never been sold if this was a problem. How in hell can you miss something like this?

[nsap]

Stupid. They should have been standard on the HHR from the get-go.

[genjy]

So... if you didn't order the side airbags, you can go to the dealership, and it will install a few pieces of foamy plastic for you.

Excellent.

I hope those foamy plastic work.

[packardlust]

Originally Posted by Minnesota Nice

This is pathetic. I'm happy they addressed it, but if it failed side-impact tests without side airbags, it should have never, ever been sold.

That was the primary reason I didn't buy the Cobalt back in 2006: no standard side airbags? Pass. My safety is not an "optional accessory" in a vehicle. I'm happy they've made them standard since.

Still, this is embarassing. This vehicle should have never been sold if this was a problem. How in hell can you miss something like this?

It's a piece of foam. So how much additional protection do people believe a piece of foam behind the headliner is going to offer. This foam is not a replacement for the SAB's by any strech of the imagination. It's great GM is fixing the problem. I'm glad the auto companies devote so much time, money, and energy in an ongoing effort to identify and eliminate safety concerns, even as a model ages. In many cases, safety recalls are not a sign of sub par engineering on the car companies part, rather the recall is a testament to the manufacturers commitment to continual safety improvement. It is true that for years especially the 90's and the early years of this decade, GM drug their feet on airbags. That is old GM behavior, not new GM behavior. It is too bad more people didn't order the side air bags on their HHR. They will soon be required by the Feds........I don't give a hoot whether SAB's are an option or standard equipment. They are a very cheap option, about $400 on my 2003 Vue. I wouldn't order a new car without them. That is my choice.

[coaster.n3rd]

Originally Posted by packardlust

It's a piece of foam. So how much additional protection do people believe a piece of foam behind the headliner is going to offer. This foam is not a replacement for the SAB's by any strech of the imagination. It's great GM is fixing the problem. I'm glad the auto companies devote so much time, money, and energy in an ongoing effort to identify and eliminate safety concerns, even as a model ages. In many cases, safety recalls are not a sign of sub par engineering on the car companies part, rather the recall is a testament to the manufacturers commitment to continual safety improvement. It is true that for years especially the 90's and the early years of this decade, GM drug their feet on airbags. That is old GM behavior, not new GM behavior. It is too bad more people didn't order the side air bags on their HHR. They will soon be required by the Feds........I don't give a hoot whether SAB's are an option or standard equipment. They are a very cheap option, about $400 on my 2003 Vue. I wouldn't order a new car without them. That is my choice.

+1..

[tollytime]

Originally Posted by genjy

So... if you didn't order the side airbags, you can go to the dealership, and it will install a few pieces of foamy plastic for you.

Excellent.

I hope those foamy plastic work.

Gee, I hope you don't mind the fact that it's the same pink foam I used on my basement walls? Cut to fit with a box cutter of course. Pass me the Elmers glue please.

[TORRED1]

I have a HHR LS base model, so no side air bags, also no ABS. I chose the base model because it was inexpensive, side airbags and ABS would just have increased the cost of the vehicle and also would increase the cost of the insurance. It was a choice I made, and would still make if it would keep the cost of my new car down, I will only pay for it when it becomes mandatory standard equipment. I do not consider this to be a defect.

[Minnesota Nice]

Well, I applaud GM for stepping up and doing it. I'd rather a recall to fix something than denial of it and ignoring it until someone gets hurt.

It may only be a piece of foam, but to me, it says a lot more than that. It says that they are serious, and that almost makes up for it. Almost. I still think it is unexcusable for any car, side airbags or not, to fail ANY crash test ratings.

Still, its good to see they are doing something about it.

[chakis24]

Originally Posted by shabodah

No offense, but, the people who purchased HHR's and Cobalts without side airbags chose to do so. They were offered from the factory, and every salesman I've ever met pushes them before any other option. So, I blame the customers. Seriously. Furthermore, our current safety regulations are just plain silly. Spend some money on driver education and actually enforcing some of the common sense rules of the road before you force us all to add 400+ pounds of crap to our cars reducing our fuel economy from what it should be and increasing our costs.

bingo

and to stress, it failed gm's tests , not the governments.

[01sunfire01]

i didnt get them on the G5 i didnt want them. and my friend with his base cobalt got slamed hard on the side and totalled both cars. he walked away without a scrach. the hhr and cobalt are safe cars without the side airbags. the 08s they all come with them.

[ColinOpseth]

Originally Posted by CamaroCrazy

I heard about this last week. I'm too lazy to go and find the previous thread to see if its a repost on this site, but its old news to me.

I do agree with jlsaturn though....and yet somehow this piece of plastic is going to help in a crash just as well as AIRBAGS?

Maybe the plastic is glorified silly putty.

[JeffInDFW]

Ummm.....So, it didn't pass GM's crash standard for 2006 to today, and they just now caught it? Sooooo....Do they just build crap for 2 years, then finally get around to testing it? Was the original test done incorrectly? Did it fail its test back then, and they just now got around to fixing the issue? I mean, I just don't get this.

The good news, however, is GM has developed this Super Foam! Now they can do away with all those pesky bumpers, and doors, and things, and just put Super Foam everywhere. I love GM, but this is really lame.

[TKR]

Originally Posted by JeffInDFW

Ummm.....So, it didn't pass GM's crash standard for 2006 to today, and they just now caught it? Sooooo....Do they just build crap for 2 years, then finally get around to testing it? Was the original test done incorrectly? Did it fail its test back then, and they just now got around to fixing the issue? I mean, I just don't get this.

The good news, however, is GM has developed this Super Foam! Now they can do away with all those pesky bumpers, and doors, and things, and just put Super Foam everywhere. I love GM, but this is really lame.

Maybe the initial crash testing was done on pre-prod vehicles and then somewhere between that and start of production the foam got left out of the specs (most likely by someone who had no idea what it did).

Before people give GM too hard a time maybe we should attempt to find out if anyone has actually been proven to have suffered injury from this omission? Anyone know?