General Motors (GM) Recalls Pickup Trucks for Airbag Wiring

General Motors Company (GM) has announced the recall of over 2,400 new mid-sized pickup trucks in the U.S. and Canada to fix the improper wiring of airbags. The driver air bags in the trucks may not have been wired properly which will reverse the deployment sequence of the vehicles' two-stage air bag system, thus hindering timely deployment of the airbags. Apart from affecting proper functioning of the airbag, the problem can also lead to injuries. However, General Motors is not aware of any accidents or injuries due to the issue.

The problem was detected by a company technician in September. As a result, in October, General Motors had asked dealers to temporarily stop the sale of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks of model year 2015.

While the automaker had not revealed the number of vehicles affected at that time, it has now reported that 2,432 trucks have been affected by the issue. Of these, 2,283 trucks are in the U.S. and 149 are in Canada.

Dealers will fix the problem by reprogramming the inflatable restraint sensing and diagnostic module. According to the company, over 70% of the recalled trucks have already been repaired. The rest will be repaired soon free-of-cost for the owners.

General Motors also revealed that it has announced 80 recalls till November this year. These recalls covered nearly 30.4 million vehicles in North America (including exports). Of these, 26.9 million vehicles were recalled in the U.S. alone.

General Motors currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the auto industry could consider better-ranked stocks like Gentex Corp. (GNTX), Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (PLOW) and STRATTEC Security Corporation (STRT), all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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