A General Motors safety recall has many of its drivers worried, not just because of the problem, but because the company has not yet issued a permanent fix.
In early 2017, GM issued a recall on more than 90,000 vehicles, including 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky cars. The problem, as Somers resident Bob Issa learned, stems from a faulty airbag module.
Almost four years before the recall, Issa noticed a service light on his dash indicating the front passenger’s side airbag module stopped working.
“I would not let anyone ride with me until I had that airbag system fixed,” said Issa.
He immediately took it to Scranton Motors for a replacement, typically a $1,100 repair. Scranton Motors offered to cover half of it at the time, out of good faith.
When GM issued the recall in 2017, Issa wanted to request a reimbursement. He says his repair worked properly in the time since.
“That’s when I got stories like, ‘We have no information, we have no parts, when we get parts maybe you can send in your paperwork,’” said Issa.
In the recall notice, GM recommends a temporary repair, which is different from what Issa had done. It also says engineers are still working on a permanent fix. Issa said the company would not process his refund until its engineers found a solution.
“There’s no visibility for when you can get the money,” said Issa. “Even though it’s been four years since I had the repair done.”
He submitted his documents to NBC Connecticut Responds, determined to get his money back.
Within a few days, Issa says he received a call from Scranton Motors. Their manager went out of his way to reimburse Issa with the promise that GM would refund his business within six to eight weeks.
A General Motors spokesperson told NBC Connecticut all affected vehicles are being repaired with parts from the original design, and that Issa’s fix should be substantial until further notice. The permanent solution is still in progress.
