- Vehicles
- 48,689
- Built between
- Aug 1995 – Feb 1996
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 4 November 1996
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1995 and February 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1996 Buick SkylarkBuilt August 1995 to February 1996
- 1996 Oldsmobile AchievaBuilt August 1995 to February 1996
What the defect is
During deployment of the passenger air bag, the air bag fabric can snag on a reinforcement inside the instrument panel, causing the expanding air bag to lift the instrument panel pad and then deploy under the instrument panel instead of through the door in the instrument panel.
What could happen
In a crash, the front seat passenger could receive more severe injuries if he or she contacts a broken reinforcement or if the snagging affects the deployment of the air bag.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PADS AND, IF NECESSARY, INSTALL A PLASTIC EDGE PROTECTOR TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PAD REINFORCEMENT. ON CERTAIN EARLY-PRODUCTION VEHICLES, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PAD WILL BE REPLACED.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1995 to February 1996
- Recall reported to NHTSA28 October 1996
- Owners notified4 November 1996
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 28 October 1996.
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.
- 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
Owner notification:owner notification is expected to begin during november 1996. Note: 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 or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.
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.