Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | ||||||||||||||||
| 99V045000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | from 01/01/1994 to 08/31/1994 | V (Vehicle) | 138691 | 03/13/1999 | ODI | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/12/1999 | 03/17/1999 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. some front seat back recliner gear teeth may wear excessively through repeated use, and could cause the seat back to slip partially rearward when force is applied. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If this happens while the vehicle is being driven, it could cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will replace the front seat recliner mechanisms. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owner notification began march 13, 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 saturn at 1-800-553-6000, prompt 3.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | ||||||
| RQ00005 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 02/16/2000 | 08/19/2000 | FRONT SEAT BACK CAN RECLINE OR COLLAPSE | 99V045000 | |
| On march 05, 1999, general motors saturn division issued a safety recall, 99v-045, to correct the seat recliner mechanism of the driver and front passenger seats of certain 1994 and 1995 model years vehicles.the recall involved 136,300 sc1, sc2, sl,sl1, sl2, sw1, and sw2 vehicles.the recliner gear teeth of these vehicles can wear excessively through repeated use and could cause the seat back to recline or collapse rearward inadvertently.as a remedy, saturn will replace the seat recliner mechanism.odi has received 29 consumer complaints from owners of 1994 and 1995 vehicles alleging either or both the driver's and the front passenger's seat back failures.all of these vehicles are outside of the recall population.the purpose of the rq is to investigate the nature of the problem and the scope of the recall. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||
| 03/20/2011 | 200000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1995 saturn sl1. the contact stated that the front driver seat began to recline abnormally. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified and the contact was told that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 99v045000 (seats). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 200,000. | |||
| 03/20/2011 | 200000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1995 saturn sl1. the contact sat in the front driver's side seat and the seat began to recline. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified and the contact was told the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 99v045000 (seats). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 200,000. sm. | |||
| 06/11/2004 | 100000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1995 saturn sl1. while approaching a stop sign, the contact's vehicle was rear ended and caused her to crash into a pole. upon impact, the driver's seat retracted backwards towards the floor. the contact sustained severe injuries to her back, neck, and shoulders. the vehicle was completely destroyed. she has all the documents pertaining to the failure, and a copy of the police report. the manufacturer denied all responsibility because her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 99v045000 (seats). the speed was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 100,000. | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 96224 | 100 | 08/27/2001 |
| In jan 2003 i received a notice that there might be a problem with the front seat back recliner gear teeth to wear excessively and if i had a problem i should go to a saturn dealer . last month the problem started and i went to my saturn dealer in brandon, fl. they said there were no recalls on my vehicle. i went to the saturn web site and discovered that there is a recall on a 1995 saturn sl1 sedan, which is what i have. this car was purchased new in oct. 1995, and i purchased it used in august 2001. the campaign number :aa 99v0450000 a a a a a dated a a 1999-mar-12. i went back to the saturn dealer in tasmpa, fl. today and they again said there was no recall on my vehicle. i stated the letter stated 1994 and 1995 vehicles and i feel that mine should be covered since is was manufactured in late 1994. we have to [place a cooler behind the seat to hold it in place or it will fall back. the dealer refuses to honor this recall. what can we do? | |||
| 1 | |||
| Passenger side seat back makes a ratchet noise when adjusting seat, and the seat back reclines backwards in a fast pace when pressure is applied. *ak | |||
| While driving vehicle, the gears broke and caused the driver's seat to collapse backwards. this obscured the driver's vision. ts | |||
| 01/03/2003 | |||
| While sitting inside of her vehicle the front seat driver side recline backwards and never come back to original state. please furnish additional information dealer. ph | |||
| 06/03/2002 | 10 | 06/01/2096 | |
| The front driver seat reclines whenever force or weight is applied to the seat. this has happened when the vehicle is both at rest and while the vehicle is being driven. to date, this problem has hurt the backs of two people (for this vehicle). the problem for this specific vehicle has caused no deaths, to date. i have taken my vehicle to saturn of henderson and requested that the problem be fixed under the recall issued in 1999. however, they informed me that my vehicle is not included under the specified vin numbers of said recall. i am awaiting special authorization from corporate saturn for the dealer to fix my vehicle. *ak | |||
| 07/06/2001 | 1 | 03/01/1995 | |
| Car hit from the rear into a pickup while both were stopped at a red light. the driver's seat failed to stay in an upright position causing the driver to go back wards, injuring her neck. airbags did not deploy. the saturn was totalled being hit in both the rear and then hitting the p/u in it's rear.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle experienced failure of the passenger seat, as stated in a saturn recall, however vehicle is not included in the recall. *mjs | |||
| 1 | |||
| Inside driver's seat material would shift unexpectedly, not stationery. this caused problems while driving. driver's seat would be tilted to the right side, and it was very uncomfortable.*ak | |||
| 02/24/2000 | 1 | 03/01/1995 | |
| On feb. 24, i was rear-ended while stopped at a red light. the impact pushed my car into the intersection ahead of me. fortunately, there were no injuries. however, my driver's seat was forced into the fully reclining position as a result of the impact. there was no other damage - not even a scratch. my 2-year daughter was seated in her car seat, located in the rear passenger side. if the front passenger seat was occupied, or if the child car seat was positioned behind the drivers seat, she could have been seriously injured by the force of the front seat suddenly and forcefully reclining onto her legs. i am deeply concerned about the safety of transporting my daughter in my saturn. as a result of this experience, i have moved the car seat to the center position. but the seat does not fit tightly there - it moves from side to side. even in the center position, both front seat backs hit the edges of the car seat when they are reclined. *ak | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 100 | 01/01/1995 | |
| This part was obviously recalled by your organization, however, saturn of fredericksburg denies that they have to fix it. instead, they want to charge me for replacement. this is wrong for a part that was defective. *ak | |||
| 05/03/1997 | 2 | ||
| Copy of e-mail to saturn: dear saturn representative, my husband and i are considering buying another saturn sl2. however, we are concerned about safety. my previous sl2 (1995, #1g8zk5272sz131805) was hit from behind by a chevy tahoe on 5/3/97. i was pushed into another car in front of me. that vehicle (a toyota) ended up on top of my saturn. my sl2 was a total loss. i sustained neck and back muscle injuries. i continue to undergo treatments for recurring pain. the cab compartment of the sl2 held up well. however, the driver's seat collapsed and fell back against the back seat. it seems this lack of support may have added to my muscle strain. also, the airbag did not deploy. shouldn't it have deployed as the sl2 was pushed into the car in front? are these design issues or were they possibly defects in our car? would the '98 vehicles be safer in these respects? if helpful, we could send pictures of the sl2 after the accident. thank you - lyn & john pearson | |||
| 1 | 10/01/1994 | ||
| Driver's seat padding slips off the frame, causing the material to wear through and tear. | |||
| 12/29/1995 | |||
| Vehicle was being driven at speed of 55mph, impact at 6:00 position, drivers seat broke, failure of the seat track and anchors. tt | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | |||
| 1 | |||
| While driving driver's seat slid backwards. the seat did not lock in place, and lock system failed intermittently.*ak | |||
| 07/05/2000 | 96000 | 1 | 02/02/1995 |
| Below are excerpts from the letter i wrote to saturn. they basically blew me off: president and ceo saturn corporation on july 5, 2000, i was rear-ended by a late model ford mustang while i was stopped at a red light in my 1995 saturn sl-1. when i was hit, my driver's seat back failed and i was thrown into the back seat of my car and sprained my lower back. after almost two months, my back is still in pain and i am undergoing physical therapy. a year or so ago, i saw a television news report that stated saturn was recalling all 1995 sl-series sedans because of an inherent fault in the design that would cause the seat back to fail in the event of a rear-end collision. i contacted saturn of bellevue in bellevue, washington and after typing my vehicle identification number into their computer, they told me my car was not involved in the recall. when i asked if my car was safe, they assured me it was. it is now painfully obvious that my car was not safe. i am upset and disappointed with the saturn corporation for telling me it was safe to continue driving a car with an inherent safety design fault. i recently called saturn of bellevue to get an address where i could write to you, and during the course of the conversation, the salesman i spoke with told me that seat back failure in a rear-end collision was a common occurrence and he didn't understand what my problem was. i subsequently spoke with two insurance adjusters who assured me that this was not a common occurrence. at this point, i am asking that you direct saturn of bellevue or saturn of renton in washington state to re-fit my obviously defective front seats (both driver and passenger) with which ever safety device you installed in the 1995 saturn vehicles that were covered by your recall. *la | |||
| 06/01/2002 | |||
| Consumer took vehicle to dealer in april 1999 for recall 99v045000 repairs. dealer said vehicle was not affected by recall, and refused recall repairs. on june 1, 2002 vehicle was rearended, and driver 's seatback broke.*ak | |||
| 05/08/2002 | |||
| Nhtsa recall 99v045000/manufacturer's recall 99006; vehicle was sitting still when it was struck from behind. seatback reclined backwards. this will be second inccident dealing with this problem. dealer was notified. please provide more information.*ak | |||
| 12/26/1999 | |||
| While at a stop consumer was rearended and then pushed into vehicle in front of her. upon impact, driver's seatback broke. consumer suffered neck and back injuries. damage to vehicle was $ 3700.00. *ak | |||
| 11/05/2001 | |||
| While starting driver seatback recliners broke and fell back. there is recall99v450000, but this vehicle is not affected due to vin. *ak | |||
| 08/07/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1995 | |
| In low impact rear-end collision, the seat back failed, causing the seat back (and the driver) to recline all the way to the back seat.*ak | |||
| Vehicle was repaired under recall 99 v 045 000/ recliner gear teeth on driver's seat. vehicle was rear ended, and upon impact, driver's seatback collapsed, causing vehicle to go over an enbankment, resulting in injury. vehicle was totalled. *ak | |||
| 06/05/2000 | 1 | 09/02/1994 | |
| Was at a stop light when another vehicle rearended saturn. upon impact, driver's seat collapsed backwards. vehicle lurched forward & hit vehicle in front. driver's head hit seat's head rest. emergency room treatment for knee & back injury. *ak | |||
| Consumer was at a stop when rearended by another vehicle at approx 35 mph. upon impact, driver's seatback broke, causing consumer to fall back which could have resulted in injuries. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Seat latch failed due to weak plastic material (which broke), causing seat back to collapse. | |||
| 07/29/1998 | |||
| Driver's seatback bolt was stripped off,causing the seat to fall backwards while driving, which may cause loss of control. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Seat back collapsed during vehicle collision. | |||
| 02/20/1998 | 1 | 06/02/1995 | |
| Bucket seat backs collapsed when collision occurred, causing injury. | |||
| 03/01/1998 | 3 | 07/21/1995 | |
| Engine/ignition/computer/speedomer/cruise control/rear window defroster: elecrical wiring/windshield wiper motor/driver's seat latch and parking brake failed. | |||
| 02/28/1997 | |||
| Driver's side seatback fell/broke as a result of an accident. *ak | |||
| 06/09/1996 | |||
| Consumer was involved in a rear end collision and seatback reclined to the rear position.*ak | |||
| 06/29/1996 | |||
| Driving vehicle, making right turn, another vehicle hit r/r bumper, spinned vehicle around, driver/passenger seatbacks collapsed backwards onto rear seat. *ak | |||
| 06/29/1996 | 1 | 07/31/1997 | |
| Driving vehicle, making right turn, another vehicle hit r/r bumper, spinned vehicle around, driver/passenger seatbacks collapsed backwards onto rear seat. *ak *slc | |||