GM recalls 4,300 cars in U.S. for airbag issue

DETROIT (Reuters) -- General Motors Co. said today it is recalling 4,304 Chevrolet Malibu Eco cars sold in the United States to reprogram a module that controls airbag deployments.

The U.S. automaker said in what it described as rare cases under extremely aggressive turning, the roof rail airbags in some 2013 model year Malibu Ecos might inflate. It also said in another scenario it described as rarer that the airbags and safety belt pretensioners might not deploy.

GM said no crashes or injuries have been reported related to this issue.

GM said it discovered the problem during a development test in which one of the cars was performing extreme maneuvers. It said letters will be mailed to car owners on June 1 with instructions to have the reprogramming done at no cost at a dealer.

PRESS STATEMENT: GM to Reprogram Sensing Module on Certain 2013 Malibus

DETROIT – General Motors is recalling certain 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles sold in the United States to reprogram the module that controls air bag deployments. No crashes or injuries are associated with the issue.

In rare cases and under an extremely aggressive turning maneuver, the roof rail air bags might inflate inadvertently. Under another rarer scenario, the air bags and safety belt pretensioners might not deploy.

GM discovered the problem during a development test while the vehicle was performing extreme maneuvers and authorized a safety recall for 4,304 vehicles.

Letters will be mailed June 1 to owners with instructions to make an appointment with their dealers to have the reprogramming done free of charge.