- Vehicles
- 736
- Built between
- Jun 2002 – Mar 2004
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 9 September 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between June 2002 and March 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2003 Chevrolet ExpressBuilt June 2002 to May 2003
- 2003-2004 Chevrolet SilveradoBuilt June 2002 to March 2004
- 2003 GMC SavanaBuilt June 2002 to May 2003
- 2003-2004 GMC SierraBuilt June 2002 to March 2004
What the defect is
Certain extended and regular cab pickup trucks and cargo vans converted to compressed natural gas (CNG) fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, 'child restraint anchorage systems.' these vehicles have one seating position, the center rear seat, equipped with child restraint lower anchorages.
What could happen
The standard requires child seat lower anchorages in two seating positions for vehicles with three rear seating positions. The standard cab and cargo van vehicles, which only have front seating positions, have an air bag off switch to disable the front passenger air bag and do not have child restraint lower anchorages in the passenger seat. The standard requires passenger seat child seat lower anchorages in vehicles with an air bag off switch. However, the standard does not require vehicles with only front seating positions to have lower anchorage provisions if the vehicle is not equipped with an air bag off switch.
What gets fixed
TO BRING THE STANDARD CAB AND CARGO VAN VEHICLES INTO COMPLIANCE, DEALERS WILL INJECT EPOXY INTO THE AIR BAG OFF SWITCH TO PREVENT AIR BAG ACTIVATION, RELOCATE THE SWITCH BEHIND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THEN INSTALL A COVER OVER THE RESULTING OPENING. THE SUN VISOR LABEL AND OWNER'S MANUAL WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. THE CORRECTION FOR THE EXTENDED CAB VEHICLE WILL CONSIST OF CHANGING THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT TO A SEAT THAT HAS CHILD RESTRAINT LOWER ANCHORAGES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2004.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJune 2002 to March 2004
- Recall reported to NHTSA11 May 2004
- Owners notified9 September 2004
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 11 May 2004.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 04038
- Recalling manufacturer
- GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 225
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
GM recall no. 04038.CUSTOMERS can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.