- Vehicles
- 55,238
- Built between
- Aug 1980 – Sep 1980
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 28 May 1981
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1980 and September 1980. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1981 Chevrolet CamaroBuilt August 1980 to September 1980
- 1980-1981 Chevrolet ChevetteBuilt August 1980 to September 1980
- 1980 Chevrolet MonzaBuilt August 1980 to September 1980
- 1981 Pontiac FirebirdBuilt August 1980 to September 1980
- 1980 Pontiac SunbirdBuilt August 1980 to September 1980
What the defect is
On certain vehicles, the seat belt retractors in the rear seating positions contain first lock positions which will not lock when used by smaller passengers. This fails to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection".
What gets fixed
ALL OWNERS WILL BE SENT A PRE-PAID POSTAGE CARD THAT IS TO BE FILLED OUT AND SENT BACK. THE CARD WILL INDICATE WHETHER THE SEAT BELTS ARE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. IF DEALER INSPECTS SEAT BELTS, THE SEAT BELT RETRACTORS WILL BE REPLACED, IF NECESSARY, WITHOUT CHARGE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1980 to September 1980
- Recall reported to NHTSA19 May 1981
- Owners notified28 May 1981
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 19 May 1981.
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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 208
- 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
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: interior; seat belt retractors.consequences of defect: in the event of a collision, if passengers are notsecurely restrained, the possibility of personal injury and death would beincreased.
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.