Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | ||||||
| RQ99015 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 07/14/1999 | 12/28/2001 | FRONT SEAT RECLINER BOLT FAILURE | 99V130000 | |
| Gm conducted two recalls, 95v-246 and 99v-130, for 741,486 model year 1992-1994 c/k extended cab light trucks, equipped with front high back bucket seats or 60/40 split bench seats.the bolts attaching the seat back to the recliner mechanism could loosen, fatigue, or fracture.in a past investigation, gm stated that the 2-door full size utility vehicles shared the same seats as the c/k trucks. this investigation is opened to determine if the utility vehicles based on the c/k trucks should be recalled as well. | ||||||
| EA01019 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 12/28/2001 | 09/27/2002 | FRONT SEAT RECLINER BOLT | ||
| A | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||
| 09/17/2009 | 127000 | ||
| My driver's seat braket is broken and unsafe. | |||
| 06/15/2008 | 101389 | 1 | |
| The bracket on my front seat has broke it is underneath seat and is very hard to get to my seat is always moving this is not safe and i should not have to pay for it and it is not safe. *tr | |||
| 03/17/2003 | 89500 | 1 | 10/25/1995 |
| Driver's seat failure on a 1995 chevrolet tahoe. the design of the seat places the front left seat fastener on a thin piece of sheet metal rather than on the re-enforced corner of the seat frame. it appears to be some kind of design error. the thin piece of sheet metal split apart, allowing the fastener to come free, and the seat then rocked back, almost touching the rear seat behind it; the driver was left looking up at a 60 degree angle at the inside roof of the vehicle, and holding onto the steering wheel for support. this failure occurred in the driveway as the driver was backing up. i shudder to think what would have happened had my wife and two children been in the car and in traffic when this occurred. gm should be forced to fix this, as it is clearly a safety hazard to the occupants of the vehicle as well as to other vehicles on the road. in my case, a call to the local dealer generated a never heard of that response; i ultimately disassembled the seat and had my local welding shop stitch in a 1/8 inch piece of steel across the entire front of the seat frame structure so that the re-enforced corners are connected by more than the flimsy piece of sheet steel (this is what gm should have done with the original design of this seat). *nlm | |||
| 10/20/2001 | 137000 | 1 | 09/01/1995 |
| Bolt connecting drivers seat to power adjustable seat track assembly tore through the sheet metal anchor plate on the seat causing the seat to tip backwards abruptly. my father owns an independent auto repair shop and is aware of this same problem on other chevrolet trucks and suv's. i contacted gm's customer service center to inquire if a recall or service bulletin had been issued to address this apparently common problem. i was advised gm had not issued a recall nor a service bulletin and did not consider this to be a common problem. *ts *nlm ****dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12-12-02 cut over to artemis****760793 | |||
| 06/01/2002 | 90000 | 1 | |
| The driver side seat frame broke.*jb | |||
| 08/25/2002 | 1 | 08/01/2001 | |
| I had a 1995 chevrolet pick up with the exact same problem, while backing up, the driver seat bottom broke away from where it attaches to the seat track. i only weigh 160 lbs., so it isn't a weight or abuse issue. i feel chevrolet should have to pay for this the second time around. what would have happened if i were in a traffic situation?. this is definetly a safety issue, suddenly, your driving from the rear seat lying on your back!.*ak | |||
| 07/15/2002 | |||
| Drivers side seat bolt broke lose, causing drivers seat to be unstable, and rock back and forth. dealer has been contacted. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 07/20/2000 | 1 | 05/13/1997 | |
| Consumer stated that he was rear ended while he stopped on the traffic light and the drivers seat mountings failed. *yd | |||
| 08/15/1999 | 2 | 10/01/1995 | |
| Had seat repaired twice can not repair again should be recalled. *ak | |||
| 03/10/2001 | 2 | 10/01/1995 | |
| The design of the seat mounting is unsafe. the seat is mounted to a weak cross brace instead of the main seat frame rails. this design is doomed to repeated failures and is unsafe. if the seat was mounted by the main frame rails there would be no problems. chevrolet should redesign the slide bracket to mount to the proper mounting points.*ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 1 | 10/01/1995 | |
| The seat frame broke when i came to a normal stop. i took the vehicle to diver chev for repair. they replaced the seat frame with the part in stock. the seat now is jammed against the console. i complained to the service manager and he told me that this was the only part available and that he had no solution. i explained that the power seat was under constant stress and it may be a safety issue is i weere invilved in an accident as it could break free as it was basicly pushed out of normal alignment. inaddition the power seat motor struggles to move the seat which will wear it out not to memtion that the seat bottom is jammed agaist the console and it will wear the leather out. i called chev owner assistance 1-800-222-1020 and they agreed that the problem should ahve never occured but after calling the dealer said ther was nothing they could do. i filed a complaint with bbb auto line and they sent me back a letter and said the vehicle was out of warranty and they would not progress the complaint. i am left paying $ 268.00 for a faulty repair which i belive has now resulted in a potential safety issue not to mention the wear issues on the leather seat and power seat motor. *ak | |||
| 01/25/2001 | 06/01/1995 | ||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| The front seat is coming loose. *slc | |||
| 11/03/2000 | |||
| While accelerating from a stop seat frame on driver's side broke, causing seat to rock back and forth. dealership and manufacturer were contacted about the seat. problem has not been corrected. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 10/04/2000 | 1 | 12/01/1995 | |
| Drivers seat mount failed. seat frame broke causing seat to rock back and forth. seat could break from mount during an accident or sudden stop. | |||
| 08/19/2000 | 1 | 12/01/1994 | |
| This vehicule has a drivers power seat, upon pulling out onto the road the seat broke loose from its mount. i did have both hands on the steering wheel at the time and was able to keep control of the vehicule as it lifted from the front left mounting bracket. after looking at the seat i discovered that the seat mounting bracket on the left side of the seat is bolted into thin sheet metal to the seat frame and not into the seat frame rail. this appears to be a design problem since the passenger seat frame rails are bolted to the seat brackets as should be. i contacted the dealer and he said they would fix it , but that i would have to pay for the new seat frame and labor as a normal service call. contacted the customer assistance line and filed a report and was told it would be put on file as a complaint file # c01348445, have not heard anything in a week. i will be fixing the seat my self in the near future by taking 3/16 x 1 1/2 flat bar and bolting it to the seat support brackets and bolting the seat frame to the flat bar. will try to take pictures of the problem before it is fixed and after it is fixed, anyway the damage part will still be there as the flat bar will just give it strength. what it appears to look like is the vehicule has a full size seat installed on support brackets made for a s10 size vehicule. if my seat broke i am sure there are others that have the same problem or will have the same problem as it is just a matter of time, they may not be so lucky as i was. | |||
| 6 | 05/01/1997 | ||
| Driver's seat broke 3 times under warranty & was repaired. it has broken 2 or 3 times since and been repaired at owner's expense. dealer now says owner needs to buy a new seat. we feel general motors is responsible and should have replaced the seat back when it was under warranty. this seat continue to break under normal driving conditions. what would have happened in a collision? what will happen in a collision? the seat belt and air bags are useless if the seat breaks! the dealer says it is a piece of alloy metal on the seat brace that continues to break. we understand that several gm vehicles have had this problem, but there has been no recall. we went to the dealership in good faith while it was under warranty and were told the problem was fixed, more than once. now they want us to buy a $500 seat to fix a problem we feel they are responsible for. | |||
| 08/09/2000 | 05/01/1999 | ||
| The seat frame on the drivers side has broken away from the rest of the seat frame causing it to rock back and foward. the mount in the floor now has bearing that move the seat track these are worn from all the movement in the seat. | |||
| 05/27/2000 | 09/01/1998 | ||
| Driver seat broke while driving. dealer will repair at consumer's cost. owner believes that it is a defect. *ak *ml | |||
| 01/25/1999 | 2 | 10/01/1994 | |
| Both passabger and driver seat frames/tracks have failed. seats rock excessively and passanger seat somtimes releases and slides foward. 3 friends that have chevy tahoe's have had their seat frames replaced several times (one person has had 6 new seats) i believe that this amount of failures constitutes a manufacturer defect and is unquestionably a safety hazard (passanger seat sliding foward when brakes are applied abruptly, i almost sent my girlfriend through the front window). i am only 175lbs and my seats frames have no reason to fail. please check any dealer repair history for this make and you may find an extraordinary amout of failures. *ak | |||
| When entering vehicle and leaning back to put the seat belt on, seat broke off of the anchors. bolt that holds the seat to track gave way, causing the seat to fall back. dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| 12/18/1999 | 1 | 11/01/1994 | |
| Jury rigged front seat anchor,engineered attachment point not used,seat frame failed. *ak | |||
| 10/21/1999 | 1 | 03/01/1998 | |
| No summary | |||
| Driver seat came loose at the anchor due to a bolt coming off. dealer says consumerneeds a new seat frame. *ak | |||
| 05/01/1998 | 1 | 03/01/1998 | |
| Upon entering vehicle i leaned over to retrieve something from the glovebox and the drivers seat broke. cost: $250.00 to repair. according to dealer the weld, at the bolt point, had broken. | |||
| 10/03/1999 | |||
| Vehicle experiencing problem with seat anchor torn from the bracket; causing driver's seat to rock back and forth which can lead to an loss of control if seat rocks too far back. requesting nhtsa to look into this matter. *ak | |||
| 07/01/1999 | 1 | 08/01/1998 | |
| Drivers seat is loose causing slight rocking motion and clunking noise when stopping / starting. this seems common in 95 - 9? full size chev / gmc suv's. i have read many nhtsa customer complaints for this same problem - some resulting in failure of the seat to remain upright and resulting in a dangerous situation. i do not believe i should have to pay to repair this defect which i hear may cost as much as $1,000 in parts and labor. this is an obvious and dangerous safety defect which requires correction by the manufacturer. | |||
| Passenger side seat tracks and anchors are coming unbolted. the dealer and manufacturer have been notified. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Bracket for the drivers seat broke at front support points causing it to tip backwards when consumer put vehicle into drive. nlm | |||
| 03/01/1997 | |||
| Vehicle taken to dealer on 23-apr-1997, dealer says that recall was canceled, and no repairs were made. recall involved the potentially dangerous recliner mechanism--a protector cover over the recliner mechanism was supposed to have been installed. | |||
| 09/01/1999 | 2 | 09/01/1995 | |
| Drivers front seat has bracket that cracked causing the seat to rock back and forth, this is the second seat that this has happened to in the same truck, the original seat was replaced under warranty . | |||
| 1 | |||
| Seat track and bracket broken causing the seat to experience excessive movement. nlm | |||
| 05/07/1999 | 1 | 12/16/1995 | |
| Seat bracket that goes into the seat tracks broke, allowing the seat to rotate back like a rocking chair when driving. dealer has fixed vehicle. *ak | |||
| 05/05/1999 | |||
| The frame on the driver's side seat broke. the seat broke away from the frame when driver was getting into the truck. the dealer is aware of the problem. problem will be corrected. *ak | |||
| Driver's seat frame broke, and disengaged from the tracks. cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| 05/05/1999 | |||
| The seat on the driver's side broke away from the frame. when taking off from a stop the seat fell back. the dealer is aware of the problem. seat has since been repaired. | |||
| 04/08/1999 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| While driving at 30 mph i went to get some thing out of my pocket and my seat broke lose. i pulled over and got out and looked under my seat and to my surprize saw that the seat had broke lose of the base. *mjs | |||
| 01/10/1999 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Seat frame snapped at bolt connecting seat to track/seat rocks back and forth. *ak | |||
| 05/15/1998 | 1 | 08/01/1995 | |
| Drivers seat frame fractured at the point where a hole was drilled for mounting purposes. due to the size of the hole compared to the size of the frame, failure was imminant. cheverolet says they are aware of this problem. | |||
| The seat bracket on the drivers seat has broke on one side, causing the seat to wobble. if the other breaks the seat will fall back. dlr has seen. *ak | |||
| 10/09/1998 | 09/19/1996 | ||
| Driver's seat mount failed. | |||
| 1 | 06/01/1996 | ||
| Driver's seat frame broke, causing seat to move back and forth, excessive movement. dealer has been notified, said they have consistent problems with this frame. *ak *ml | |||
| 07/31/1998 | 1 | ||
| Stress fracture in driver's seat, metal frame broke, causing excessive movement, and possibly resulting in injuries in case of an accident. *ak | |||
| 03/15/1998 | 10/19/1995 | ||
| Flange and bolt attaching seat body to seat frame broke, causing bucket seat to rock back and forth. | |||
| 10/30/1997 | 0 | ||
| The driver's front seat detached from the seat frame while driving and without warning. the driver did not lose control of the vehicle, but loss of control can very well be a result of the detachment of the seat from the frame. *ak | |||
| Driver's front seat riser fails, when bolt which attaches to frame broke, causing seat to become loose, rocking forward due to metal fatigue. *ak | |||
| 03/24/1995 | 4 | ||
| Design of drivers seat track is not stable, as the rivets disconnect easily. *dh | |||
| 04/01/1996 | |||
| Failure of the seat track and anchors, the driver seat broke twice. *ak | |||
| 07/15/1995 | |||
| Driver's bucket seat tracking system gets loose, makes popping noise. tt | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - HEAD RESTRAINT | |||
| 01/03/2003 | |||
| While driving the vehicle and applied gas the front driver seat act like rocking chair, making it unsafe to drive the vehicle. consumer states went into our web site and found several people with the same problem. dealer said nobody has complained on this problem. please provide further information. ts | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - POWER ADJUST | |||
| 01/01/2003 | |||
| While traveling on the highway without prior warning the front driver seat hit the bottom. please fill in additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ph | |||
| Front power adjusting seat mount broke off steel. piece of steel insufficient/ too small / thin, and weak to hold seat properly, causing loss of protection.*ak | |||
| 12/08/2000 | |||
| While travling driver was adjusting seat, and seatback went all the way back. driver stopped vehicle, and adjusted properly and resumed traveling to destination. has been taken to dealer. no injuries or accidents have occurred.*ak | |||
| 06/03/2000 | |||
| Fire started under driver's power seat. vehicle was totaled. manufacturer was notified. feel free to provide further details. *ak | |||
| 2 | 07/01/1995 | ||
| The mounting bracket of the front power driver's seat has broken and caused the seat to tip into the reclining position. the windshield wiper motor has been replaced twice because the windshield wipers stopped intermittently, and the problem is still occurring. *ak | |||
| 04/28/1996 | 11/01/1995 | ||
| Vehicle parked, engine turned off, returned to vehicle and the seat was engulfed in fire. insurance company said fire was caused by a short circuit in the control unit to the seat. *ak | |||
| 11/29/1995 | |||
| Power driver seat rocks back and forth, replace the driver seat frame, replacements loose now. tt | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | |||
| 04/19/2004 | 1 | ||
| While reaching in the back seat for something the driver seat frame broke at the left front bolt. *ak | |||
| 03/27/2001 | 1 | ||
| Lower seat riser failed on drivers seat, dealer replaced while under warranty but a few hundred miles later seat frame made noises and found frame had cracks in it. vehicle was then out of warranty and dealer would not replace seat frame. i also know of one other person who has had same problem with their tahoe. | |||
| 11/01/1998 | 1 | 07/01/1995 | |
| While researching info. on the web i noticed that nhtsa is investigating batteries. after my tahoe didn't start i found the oem battery was leaking from + terminal. this occured some time ago and the vehicle had been in for service one month prior so i thought the mechanics had over tightened it. i replaced the battery and + cable myself; so far so good. on to my cheif complaint; approximatly one week ago while driving i felt a snap in my seat. i wrote it off as a spring until i stopped, suddenly my drivers seat had become a rocking chair. upon returning home i found that the seat was secured to the pedastal via less than 1/8 of metal. it seems gm in its quest to save a buck not so cleverly figured that the stress in normal operation on a power seat is not as much of that in a manual seat. my problem is i payed more for a seat that potentially puts my family and countless other people in life threatining danger. what good is a safety belt on a seat that will not stay connected to your vehicle in a crash. i am fortunate to have found this problem without the latter. i have a problem beleiving that the same people who egineered this mess can get an internal combustion motor to run. currently i am awaiting my local gm service shop to fit me in so they can spare 1 measly minute to look at my seat; the closest appointment was a week away. in my opinion anything less than their current seats would be unacciptable. i find it hard to believe that i am the first to have seen this problem. please investigate.*ak | |||
| 04/01/2000 | |||
| Right front passenger seat riser failure to lock in position under hard stop, dealer says its a common problem for tahoes at $450. *ak | |||
| 03/11/2000 | 0 | ||
| While adjusting himself inside of vehicle driver pushed his back against the seatback, and it collapsed, seat support bracket broke without a prior warning. *ak | |||
| 02/10/2000 | 04/01/1995 | ||
| We have complained several times about the driver's side seat not feeling as if it is locked in position and were told that it is normal. it felt as if the seat were rocking a bit. now the seat has broken all the way and can rock as if you are in a rocking chair. this took effect on the freeway. very dangerous!!! .....in connection with the egr valve i am currently in need of having it replaced for the 3rd time. my service engine soon light has come on all three times. the vehicle has not run the same since the first egr valve has been replaced. to my understanding, it is not a part that should wear out so frequently. none of the times has the egr valve been covered under warranty. | |||
| 02/15/1999 | |||
| Consumer noticed extra movement in seat. he took vehicle to mechanic to tighten bolts. he was told by mechanic that the weld was broken, and the seat frame was defective, part # 12387378, consumer purchased a new frame. *ak | |||
| 10/02/1998 | |||
| Front seat bolt pulled right through the frame which holds the seat into the anchor brace, also keeps seat from moving back and forth. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| 04/15/1998 | |||
| Seat tips all the way back when driving, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, dealer contacted, and cannot remedy the problem, currently no warranty on vehicle. *ak | |||
| 3 | |||
| The bracket that holds the driver's seat is broken which causes the seat to become loose, and for the back of seat to fall backwards. dealer replaced bracket. *ak | |||
| 03/01/1997 | |||
| Received recall notice on seatbacks in march and the dealership still has not received the recalled part. *ak | |||
| 06/15/1996 | 1 | ||
| Broken seatback frame, causing seat to roll to the rear. *ak | |||
| 06/15/1996 | 1 | ||
| Broken driver seat frame, causing seat to roll to rear. *ak | |||
| 01/02/1996 | |||
| Drivers seat is loose. | |||