The Takata airbag recall debacle has expanded once again, this time covering vehicles not previously on the list. Both the Chevrolet->ke199 and GMC->ke32 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty trucks were added May 28, 2015 due to possibly defective passenger side airbags.
The effected trucks include the 2007 and 2008 model year. For the Chevrolet, the Silverados->ke1787 were built from November 28, 2006 through August 29, 2008. For the GMC Sierra, effected trucks were built from November 27, 2006 through August 29, 2008. A total of 330,198 trucks are under recall.
Though the heavy-duty trucks share the same interior as their half-ton counterparts, a recall as not yet been announced for Silverado and Sierra 1500 models. The same can be said for GM’s full size SUVs that include the Tahoe, Suburban, their GMC equivalents, and the Cadillac Escalade. Information regarding a recall concerning the driver’s side airbag has also not been announced.
The Silverado and Sierra HDs are only the third GM vehicle to be involved in the Takata airbag recall. Previously only the 2003 and 2004 Pontiac Vibe->ke1812 (a rebadged Toyota Matrix->ke1041), along with the 2005 Saab 9-2X (a rebadged Subaru Impreza) were involved. The trucks are the first true GM-engineered vehicles to be effected. This potentially opens Pandora’s box for GM, as many of its vehicles share componentry, especially those trucks and SUV mentioned above.
As for now, GM remains relatively unscathed by the massive Takata recalls, which currently cover more than 34 million vehicles inside the U.S.
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Why It matters
Besides the fact the more than 330,000 GM trucks are under recall, the possibility that GM will face countless more recalls is apparent. This could dramatically increase the number of Takata airbag recalls and put GM under even more recall-related stress on top of its ongoing ignition switch recalls. Hopefully this is an isolated incident that doesn’t spread like wildfire through GM’s automotive portfolio.