Recall 05V163000: 2nd Row Seat Belt Modification

MAKE/MODELS: MODEL/BUILD YEARS:

CADILLAC / ESCALADE 2003-2005

CHEVROLET / AVALANCHE 2003-2005

CHEVROLET / SILVERADO 2003-2005

CHEVROLET / SUBURBAN 2003-2005

CHEVROLET / TAHOE 2003-2005

GMC / SIERRA 2003-2005

GMC / YUKON 2003-2005

HUMMER / H2 2004-2005

MANUFACTURER: General Motors Corp.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 05V163000 RECALL DATE: April 22, 2005

COMPONENT: Seat Belts: Rear

POTENTIAL NUMBER OF UNITS AFFECTED: 1359824

SUMMARY:
On certain crew cab pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the 2nd row center occupant seat belt routing may make it difficult to position the lap portion of the safety belt low around the hips of occupants, especially smaller occupants, seated in this position. Appropriate use of a child seat or booster seat, as recommended for small children, does improve the fit condition for this user group. In addition to instructions on proper infant and young child restraint (with child seats or boosters), special verbiage for restraining older child is included in the owner's manual text.

CONSEQUENCE:
A lap portion of the seat belt routing that is not low and snug on the hips can allow the lap belt to ride up on an occupant's abdomen instead of fitting low around their hipbones, and therefore, can expose them to more risk of abdominal and internal organ injury.

REMEDY:
Dealers will cut open the guide loop, remove a portion of the loop, and then the remaining two sides should be folded over and secured with a retainer. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners should contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, or Hummer at 1-800-732-5493.

NOTES:
GM recall No. 05037. Customers can also contact The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.