NHTSA Closes Probe Into 1.3M GM Vehicles Over Seat Belt Safety Concerns

U.S. auto safety regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Wednesday that it has closed its probe into about 1.3 million General Motors GM vehicles over concerns of the driver and front passenger losing seat belt protection.

What Happened: General Motors issued a recall for the vehicles, including model year 2009 through 2014 GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs as well as model year 2009 through 2010 Saturn Outlook SUVs back in 2014 stating that the flexible steel cable that connects the seat belt to the vehicle at the outside of the front outboard seating positions can tire and separate over time, increasing risk of injury to the front passenger and driver.

However, the NHTSA in 2019 opened a probe to assess the effectiveness of the fix issued by GM in the recall.

The agency has now decided to close the probe in light of the special coverage released by the company in 2019. The special coverage allowed for a replacement of the affected component for 12 years or 180,000 miles from the initial sale date of the vehicle if necessary. The failure of the part is also highly detectable and has a low rate of occurrence, the regulator noted.

Why It Matters: The closure of the investigation, however, does not mean that a safety-related defect does not exist, the agency said while adding that it may take action in the future if needed.

There have also been no crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to the probe, it added.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

Read More:

• Tesla Owners Can Now ‘Summon’ Their Vehicles Using Their Phones: ‘Wide Release’ Coming Next Week, Says Elon Musk

Image Via Shutterstock