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Havent got the seat switch fixed yet

10K views 70 replies 15 participants last post by  Black Sheep 
#1 ·
Is there a deadline on the recall? My passenger seat switch is still working and I am scared to death they will screw something up if I go in for the recall.:willy::willy:
 
#2 ·
Technically, the statute of limitations has already expired, since it is 10 (or maybe 8) years from the original date of sale of the vehicle.

A recall also effectively expires when there are no longer any repair parts available.

Do you expect to be less scared later?
 
#5 ·
#7 ·
Whether my fear of malpractice will be more or less in the future is not the issue. My concern is that there is a risk of malpractice and right now the sensor is working. Will the piece of tape make it better or will the possible malpractice be worse than the cure that I dont need.....yet.:willy::willy:
 
#8 · (Edited)
Here is my take on it...

If your pad is working, the dealer will add the reinforced tape to the existing mat. This shouldn't cause any issues unless they mess up the lower seat cushion while removing/reinstalling it.

IF your current mat is damaged but still working, the tape doesn't guarantee that the mat will not fail in the future (technically even a new mat with the tape installed doesn't guarantee that) but it certainly won't make it fail sooner. Unfortunately there is no way to tell if your current working mat is damaged without destroying the mat.

I believe the recall repair has a 1 year warranty meaning if the sensor does fail within a year of you getting the tape added to your working mat, you'll get a replacement mat with the tap already added. EDIT: I just verified this is the case.

The only reason you might want to wait is to hope the sensor mat fails so you get a new mat with the tape rather than taping your current working (but possibly already damaged) mat. I was fortunate my working mat failed after the recall went into effect but before I had gone in for the fix.
 
#10 ·
The only reason you might want to wait is to hope the sensor mat fails so you get a new mat with the tape rather than taping your current working (but possibly already damaged) mat. I was fortunate my working mat failed after the recall went into effect but before I had gone in for the fix.
Yes, that is exactly why I was wondering how long. If I wait till it fails....and that is after they no longer have parts...I am SOL. Its a hard decision after hearing details of crap that happens in dealerships that no longer really care because the car is no longer sold.:cheers:
 
#11 · (Edited)
Interesting tidbit I found...Quarterly report filed by GM April 11, 2019 on how many cars have been serviced.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCLQRT-17V061-0257.PDF

Just over a third apparently.

A recall doesn't have a specific expiration date but if the company goes out of business (GM in this case) or they run out of parts the recall is pretty much over. So there is an expiration, but not a specific date.

Really up to you but the options, as I see them, are do nothing and hope if/when it fails parts are still available for the recall, get the recall done now and if it fails in the next year that there are still parts available, or fix it now and if it breaks after a year deal with having to pay for a replacent if one is available.
 
#13 ·
Not sure how you can say that. I have read threads here of people who have had to make multiple trips, leave the car for 1/2 day or all day. First trip was to get it diagnosed and parts ordered 2nd was to get it fixed. Since some dealers are busy it's not like you drive up they order parts and you leave. You drop car off, wait an hour or so till they get to your car and diagnose then find they have to order the parts, order the parts then give you the car back and say come back in xx weeks when the parts are in.

An oil change, drive car on ramps climb under remove bolt swap filter, go inside have a beer, come out put bolt in, fill with oil drive off ramps, put ramps away.

One seems much more time consuming then the other, but its just me.

Oh and for the record have not gotten the seat fix done on our car either.
 
#14 ·
Must be that my dealership (Wally Edgar) has me trained well??? I called about the recall over the phone, they ordered the part, contacted me when the part was in and then I scheduled a service time. Took my wife's Equinox over at the same time and had both the recall AND the oil change done. Both were done in about 45 minutes.
 
#15 ·
You have your dealership trained well. LOL

The procedure is supposed to be make an appointment, have the dealer determine if the seat sensor is operational or not. If it's operational, they just order the tape to put on the existing sensor. If it's not, they order a new sensor mat and the tape. You then come back when the parts arrive and generally it takes a couple hours to have the repair done.

Obviously the size of the dealership and it's service traffic will vary the repair time.
 
#17 ·
My dealer makes sure that they have the tape ready for when they make the initial appointment, apparently since they know that they are going to need it in any case, and there is not a supply limitation for it. I assume that GM ordered enough for every car, plus some overage for errors.

If the sensor is working, they pull the seat, apply the tape, reassemble everything and you are done. 45 minutes sounds about right.

If the sensor is not working they order the new one and make a second appointment when they have it in hand. That change can also take about 45 minutes.
 
#18 ·
When I started the thread, it was not about how long it takes, it was about the collateral damage and the wisdom of fixing something that wasnt broken.
 
#21 ·
Recently, I've noticed the passenger seat sometimes shows someone sitting there, other times it doesn't. As I'll never have children in my car, any problem with just hard wiring the connector to the passenger's seat to always arm that airbag?
 
#22 ·
The main problem is that it won't work. It is also illegal, but that is a relatively minor detail.

The seat sensor speaks serially to the SDM, and there is a pretty complex handshaking involved. I have emulated it, but it was a pretty involved process.

The best answer is to take it to your local dealer to get it replaced as part of the recall, although you might want to wait until you get a "Service Airbag" message..
 
#32 ·
My understanding is the same as John's - they need to maintain parts inventory during warranty periods OR they would have to admit defaulting on the warranty and would buy back the car at then current value, which is unlikely to satisfy anyone.

In fact we are aware of one instance of a coupe being bought back and crushed because it was under warranty and an electronic module went out. GM had no inventory of the module and no prospect of having any in a reasonable time - the part in question came from a Japanese factory affected by the tsunami and ensuing radioactive spill in 2011 at Fukushima.

The recall we are talking about may well use up available parts to fix the sensors. Fix it or don't - everyone can make up their own mind, but no bitching about it if you later decide to do something once stocks run out and you are SOL. I am not aware of any law that would require GM to remanufacture new parts if they ran out.
 
#33 ·
I really have no idea how this will work out when the current supply of parts is exhausted. I don't think IEE is making these mats anymore and don't know if anyone is making the replacement parts for them anymore. Since the last MY was 2009 and this recall came out before the 2009s were 10 years old perhaps GM did have a production base for the mats. How many they made or will they continue to make them? I have no idea.

Personally, if the mat is broken currently and you have the error, get it fixed. If you don't...I don't know what to say as i don't believe the simple tape the existing mat fix is going to cut it. We're already hearing of folks that got that fix done having the mat fail. Some are out of the 1 year recall warranty too and now are in the same boat they were before the recall...pay to replace it or leave it busted.

For those reading, if you ARE one of those folks who didn't have an active air bag error and got the tape put on your existing mat only to have that mat fail later...I STRONGLY urge you to file a complaint on the NHTSA website and be sure to describe what the circumstances were on your car.
 
#39 ·
Talked for quite a bit with Opel Greece today, it seems that since PSA bought Opel they no longer share the same system as GM so the recall is not in the system.

I was expecting more from a multi-billion corporation like PSA. What are they thinking, they should have kept access to GM systems for cases like this one.

Anyone remember who that guy was who claims that Opel accepted his car as part of the recall?
 
#40 ·
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#43 ·
Trying to understand what you are saying, you say one thing on one part of your sentence and the exact opposite on the other.

Also the seat sensor not a safety issue in the EU? We have much tighter "regulations" than the US when it comes to car safety. This recall file should be on every Opel desk with LARGE URGENT LETTERS on it.
 
#47 ·
Technically and practically speaking the Sky RL and the Opel GT are the same car but legally they are not. The GT was built for export and only available for sale outside of the US, so it is not subject to US recall laws. Since the recall was ordered by NHTSA, it is not applicable anywhere except for the United States. For the GT to be recalled, whatever vehicle safety department exists in the EU (or a specific country) would have to order a corresponding recall.

It would certainly make sense for the recall to be world-wide and apply to every vehicle produced, but it doesn't. Recalls are fairly regularly ordered in one country but not another, and the manufacturer is not required to issue a recall in a country that does not order it. All manufacturers (not just GM) have recalled cars in one country but not another. Their only legal obligation is to notify the regulatory agencies in any country where they have sold a recalled vehicle and it is then up to that agency to decide whether to order an expansion of the recall to their country.

Recall laws really don't make a lot of sense in some cases since the same component used in different models (like our seat sensor) may be recalled in one and not the other (again like ours) and the recall may not cover all of the years in which the same vehicle was manufactured, even if the same parts were used. International cooperation would certainly be a good thing given the international automotive markets, but that is more of a dream than a hope since even Canada and the US can't get it together.
 
#51 ·
Well Opel HQ seems to not want to step on anyone's toes so they pretty much told me that it's up to the Local customer service to clear this issue.

Next step was to contact Groupe PSA directly to see what they have to say about this.

If they too have the same attitude i will contact the proper customer protection authorities in Germany and France (where Opel and PSA are subject to local laws) and see what they have to say about this.
 
#52 ·
It looks to me like your biggest problem is that the EU has not actually issued this recall, if I am reading the RAPEX Car Recall Database correctly: https://car-recalls.eu/latests-recalls/
One problem is that the GT is not listed as an Opel in the database. Also, there are no recalls listed for Pontiac or Saturn. Pontiac is included as a manufacturer with zero recalls, but Saturn doesn't show up at all.
 
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