- Vehicles
- 2,090
- Built between
- May 1996 – Sep 1997
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 21 January 1999
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between May 1996 and September 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1996-1998 Chevrolet AstroBuilt May 1996 to September 1997
- 1996-1998 GMC SafariBuilt May 1996 to September 1997
What the defect is
Vehicle description: mini vans equipped with integrated dual child seats. Some of these vehicles may be missing a seat belt retractor clutch spring and/or pawl spring in the child seat. If the clutch spring was missing, the seat belt would lock in the retracted position and could not be used. If the pawl spring was missing, the seat belt restraint would continually play out and would not lock.
What could happen
These conditions could increase the occupant's risk of injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SEAT BELTS ON THE CHILD SEATS, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE CHILD SEAT.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMay 1996 to September 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA20 January 1999
- Owners notified21 January 1999
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 20 January 1999.
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
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 98071
- Recalling manufacturer
- GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 213
- 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 began january 21, 1999. 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 gmc at 1-800-462-8782. 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.