Reminder: Airbag Recall For Chevrolet And SAAB Vehicles In Malaysia
Calling all owners of Chevrolet and SAAB vehicles in Malaysia. You are strongly advised to attend to this airbag recall especially before the holiday travel period. The recall affects 3,725 units of Chevrolet and SAAB vehicles here. This campaign to replace the Takata driver airbag inflators has actually been going on since June 2022 as Chevrolet views this as a serious matter since there is a potential risk of fatality if the faulty airbags deploy in the event of a collision.
The reason for the recall stems from non-desiccated PSAN propellant tablets inside the driver airbag inflators in affected vehicles. The propellant tablets may experience alteration after exposure to high temperature and daylight temperature cycles in high humidity environments. During deployment, the inflators may rupture if gas generation exceeds the ability of the inflators to vent the gas. The rupture may send dangerous shrapnel towards the driver and occupants, with potentially fatal consequences.
The affected models are:
- Chevrolet Cruze: model year 2010–2015
- Chevrolet Orlando: model year 2013–2015
- Chevrolet Sonic: model year 2013–2014
- Chevrolet TRAX model year 2017
- SAAB 9-3: model year 2007
A spokesperson for Chevrolet Sales Thailand, the company responsible for the recall campaign in the Southeast Asian region, said: “The response rate in Malaysia has been below expectation. This is alarming as fatalities may occur if the faulty airbags deploy in an accident. We hope Malaysian motorists will help spread the alert, or forward it to friends and loved ones who may own an affected Chevrolet vehicle. Affected Chevrolet owners who did not receive alerts or calls due to outdated data are encouraged to contact our call team or log on to the recall campaign microsite for more details. For the safety of you and your loved ones, it is ideal to have the airbag replaced before holiday travels begin.”
According to Chevrolet, since the affected vehicles are not new, it has been difficult to trace the owners due to outdated customer data. This setback is further compounded by the lack of an official Chevrolet office in Malaysia. However, as the free airbag replacements are handled by selected Honda authorised dealerships, Chevrolet hopes that affected owners will take advantage of the convenience of Honda’s comprehensive network of service centres.
While the deadline for the collaboration has not been announced, affected owners are encouraged to take advantage of this convenience as soon as possible, as it will be very difficult to access recall repairs once the collaboration with Honda Malaysia ends.
The recall campaign is conducted with the approval and cooperation of the Road Transport Department Malaysia (Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia, or JPJ). Since Chevrolet does not currently have an office in Malaysia, the company has appointed 2 local partners to carry out the campaign.
For communications, Saphan9 Engagement, a communications and content consultancy has been appointed to handle the recall campaign including announcements, customer outreach, digital assets, information and data management. Recall repairs will be handled by selected Honda authorised dealerships. The recall repair will be free-of-charge.
Affected owners are encouraged to visit the Chevrolet recall microsite: www.chevrolettakatarecallmy.com where they will be guided to the airbag recall repair via 3 simple steps:
- Locate the VIN number: Instructions on where to locate the VIN number of the vehicle will be provided. The VIN number is essential to confirm the status of the vehicle.
- Call for appointment: A list participating Honda authorised dealers will be displayed. Owners can call the nearest participating Honda authorised dealer with the VIN number to check if their vehicle is affected. Owners of affected vehicles can obtain an appointment for a free recall repair at that dealership.
- Owners will share their contact details to enable Chevrolet to share important updates regarding the recall campaign.
A call-team has also been set up to contact customers who may have difficulty connecting to the internet. For further enquiries, vehicle owners can call +6011 3129 9963 or +6011 3129 9965 or visit www.chevrolettakatarecallmy.com
