The problem
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "Seat belt assemblies."
The risk
In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained.
The fix
Dealers will inspect the vehicle's safety belt buckle assembly date codes and, if necessary, will replace any safety belt buckle assembly.
Contacts
Owner notification began august 24, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact buick at 1-800-521-7300; chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020; gmc at 1-800-462-8782; oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537; pontiac at 1-800-762-2737; or saturn at 1-800-553-6000. Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
What to do
- Check your VIN. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls - it shows whether this recall applies to your vehicle and whether the repair has been done.
- Call a dealer. Any authorized Buick, Chevrolet, GMC dealer will do the repair free, whether or not you bought the vehicle there. Quote campaign 00V228003.
- Ask about parts and a loaner. If parts aren't available yet, ask what to do in the meantime.
- Keep your paperwork. If you paid for this repair before the recall, you may be able to get reimbursed - here's how.