General Motors has a serious recall on its hands.
USA Today reported Friday that the United States' largest automaker is recalling upwards of one million pickup trucks due to faulty seat belts. GM says the recall affects nearly 1.04 million 2014 and 2015 models of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America and extending as far as the Middle East. In the U.S. alone, the recall affects 895,232 vehicles.
The problem with the seat belt is that, as drivers repeatedly sit down, the steel cable wears out over time and can snap. GM lists the recall as voluntary, adding that, after delving into warranty data, it hasn't come across any reported accidents, injuries or casualties caused by the defective seat belts.
In a statement to the media, as reported by USA Today, GM also mentioned that the cost of the fix is "not expected to be significant" for the company, adding that it's free of charge to owners.
According to the Associated Press, GM will fix the issue by installing a bracket on the cable tensioner or, if deemed necessary, replace the tensioner altogether. Although reports of the recall surfaced today, owners will be formally notified soon with dates that the company will address the recall fix, GM spokesperson Tom Wilkinson told the AP.
Still, Friday's recall announcement didn't stop GM from unveiling its special 2016 Silverado Rally Edition during the Duck Commander 500 race at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday.
Prior to that, last week, GM had announced that its 2014-16 Silverado models will be offering a new trailering camera system, enabling more confident towing for drivers.
Two days prior to that, on April 6, GMC was honored as the "Most Refined Brand" by Kelley Blue Book, with the imprint seeing a retail jump of 13 percent last month for its best March in over a decade.
That being said, GM would hate to have its momentum with the Sierra 1500 and Silverado slowed down by this recall, which shouldn't be hard to fix.
Spreading the information about the recall, getting owners to bring their vehicles in and getting them fixed is key.
