General Motors is voluntarily recalling all 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 models for a front passenger airbag issue.
A notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) site lists the potential number of affected vehicles at 38,444. Documentation from General Motors indicates the breakdown is 12,043 2008 model year Pontiac G8s and 28,401 for the 2009 model year.
2008 Pontiac G8
The NHTSA notice says the 2008 Pontiac G8s were built from November 2, 2007 through February 5, 2008, while the 2009 G8s were built from May 7, 2008 through January 22, 2009. The Detroit News reports that the G8s were manufactured in Australia by Holden and were imported to the U.S.
At issue is the front passenger airbag. During a 30 mph frontal barrier test, a 5th percentile female anthropomorphic test device (ATD) exceeded the head injury criteria requirements for Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, covering occupant crash protection. The NHTSA bulletin states that “with the front passenger seat positioned full forward, the seat position sensor will cause a 30 milliseconds deployment delay between the first and second stages of the dual-stage frontal passenger air bag.”
In the event of a crash, front seat occupants may sustain head injury as a result of this delay.
General Motors dealers will reprogram the sensing and diagnostic module free of charge to affected 2008-2009 model year Pontiac G8 owners. Although the manufacturer has not yet provided a customer notification schedule, Pontiac G8 owners with questions or concerns may contact Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Alternatively, owners of Pontiac G8 vehicles involved in the campaign may contact the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov. Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 11V534000.
2008-2009 Pontiac G8: Recall Alert
