- Vehicles
- 1,573
- Built between
- Jun 1996 – Sep 1996
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 20 November 1996
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between June 1996 and September 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997 Chevrolet CamaroBuilt June 1996 to September 1996
- 1997 Pontiac FirebirdBuilt June 1996 to September 1996
What the defect is
These vehicles were manufactured with seat belt retractors out of design position which can cause the retractor to lock-up on slopes less severe than the FMVSS requirement. This does not comply with FMVSS no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
What could happen
In the event of a vehicle collision, unbelted occupants are more at risk of injury than those using seat belts.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SEAT BELTS FOR PROPER FRONT SEAT BELT RETRACTOR POSITION. RETRACTORS FOUND TO BE IMPROPERLY POSITIONED WILL BE REINSTALLED CORRECTLY.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJune 1996 to September 1996
- Recall reported to NHTSA4 November 1996
- Owners notified20 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 4 November 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.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 209
- 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 began in october 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 chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or pontiac at 1-800-762-2737.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.