People who own Cadillac CTS cars with the model years 2005 to 2007 will have to take their vehicles in for a checkup after the holidays, to replace a sensor mat that could disable the passenger side airbag.
General Motors Co. announced Thursday that nearly 96,000 Cadillac CTS cars are being recalled because of a faulty sensor that could disable the front passenger airbag. The sensor mat could bend and fold and break, which could lead to the passenger airbag failing to deploy.
The problem affects 46,070 2006 model year cars and 33,138 from the 2007 model year. It also affects some 2005 models.
“Repeated ‘flexing’ of the passenger sensing system mat in the front seat could cause the mat to ‘kink, bend or fold,’” GM said, according to a notice posted on U.S. safety regulators’ website. If the mat that senses car passengers breaks, the airbag could become disabled.
The issue was discovered during an open investigation into the issue in September by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There have not been any reported injuries or fatalities related to the faulty part thus far.
As a Los Angeles car accident attorney, I’m glad GM caught this issue before any personal injuries were reported. I urge consumers who own a 2005 to 2007 model year Cadillac CTS to pay close attention to this recall. The mats should be replaced as soon as possible to protect the passengers in your vehicle in the event of a collision.
Consumers will be notified by mail around February 2011, once the retailers get replacement parts, the company said.
