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GM issues recall over airbag shrapnel risk but doesn't have replacement parts

This Wednesday, April 26, 2017, photo shows the logo on the wheel of an SUV in front of a Chevrolet dealership in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) This Wednesday, April 26, 2017, photo shows the logo on the wheel of an SUV in front of a Chevrolet dealership in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
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General Motors recently issued a safety recall over airbag inflators that can explode and shoot shrapnel into drivers, but the automaker doesn't have replacement parts.

"It's a thought in the back of my mind the whole time I'm driving," Jillian Grimes of Peterborough, Ont. told CTVNews.ca over the phone on Monday. "I have two young children, a three-year-old and an almost-one-year-old. And just knowing the possibility of the danger of the airbag going off and having this explosion with shrapnel is worrisome."

In June, Grimes received a letter explaining that her 2017 Chevrolet Traverse was part of a General Motors recall of 42,000 vehicles in Canada and nearly one million in the U.S. over airbag inflators that have been linked to at least seven injuries and two deaths, including a 2016 fatality in Canada.

Grimes contacted a local dealer and General Motors, which offered no answers.

"I was told on the phone by GM that I could rent a car until the parts are available, but it would be at my own expense," Grimes said. "I'm left with the decision: do we go into further debt for peace of mind and know that we're safe, or are we just going to wait to see if GM's going to do something about it, which so far they're not."

Meant to safely inflate airbags, the devices are made by Tennessee-based ARC Automotive Inc., which has rejected demands from U.S. regulators to recall millions of vehicles over a potential issue facing pre-2018 models from at least a dozen automakers.

When Grimes asked General Motors when replacement parts will become available, she says she was told that "engineers" are working on it.

"If the engineers are working on it, I'm assuming it's going to be a long time," Grimes said.

It is estimated that approximately 3.5 million vehicles in Canada have ARC Automotive airbag inflators, which is more than one in ten vehicles on the road. An extensive list from Transport Canada features at least 90 makes and models from 1998 through 2017 from major brands like BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat, Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Hyundai and Kia.

The first known fatality occurred in July 2016, when the driver of a 2009 Hyundai Elantra in Newfoundland was killed by metal shrapnel from an airbag inflator that exploded during a low-speed collision. According to U.S. officials, other incidents since 2009 have involved models like the 2002 Chrysler Town and Country, 2004 Kia Optima, 2010 Chevrolet Malibu, 2015 Chevrolet Traverse, 2015 Volkswagen Golf and 2016 Audi A3. In March, the driver of the same vehicle as Grimes received facial injuries after an airbag inflator ruptured in Michigan.

An exact number of impacted vehicles in the U.S. has not been released, but it could exceed 33 million. Following an eight-year investigation, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demanded that ARC Automotive recall 67 million airbag inflators over the safety risk, which includes both driver and passenger airbag inflators. The company has so far refused to comply, setting the stage for a potential legal battle.

"ARC believes they resulted from random ‘one-off’ manufacturing anomalies that were properly addressed by vehicle manufacturers through lot-specific recalls," ARC Automotive said in a May letter to U.S. authorities.  The company did not reply to a request for comment.

Previous recalls in Canada and the U.S. have only targeted about 10,000 vehicles with ARC airbag inflators from the same production lots as known incidents, including models from Hyundai, BMW, Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen. The most recent recall in Canada was announced on June 1 and involves just 236 Hyundai Elantra models from 2011.

The larger General Motors recall from May 13 targets 2014 to 2017 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse SUV models. Grimes says that she was shocked to see a safety recall notice that provided no solutions.

"I was stunned when I read the letter and the sentence… that says this issue has the potential to cause serious injury or death, and then the next paragraph is we don't have any way to fix this right now, but we'll let you know when we do," she said. "I was speechless."

Grimes provided a copy of the letter to CTVNews.ca. The letter explains that an "inflator rupture may cause metal fragments to pass through the airbag and into the vehicle interior, which may result in injury or death to vehicle occupants." The next sentence declares in bold type: "Parts to repair your vehicle are not currently available."

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, a Transport Canada spokesperson explained that automakers don't have a legally-binding time limit for conducting recall-related repairs.

"In the notice, the company must inform owners when the parts and facilities to correct the defect are expected to be available," the spokesperson said. "The company must then send another notice to advise of the corrective measures to be taken, once their availability is known."

General Motors would not answer specific questions from CTVNews.ca about the recall and the timeline for replacement parts, nor would the company disclose how many – or if – repairs have already been completed.

"GM is taking this expanded field action out of an abundance of caution and with the safety of our customers as our highest priority," a company spokesperson said in a brief statement to CTVNews.ca. "GM is working with our suppliers to develop and validate a remedy as soon as possible, and when we have replacement parts we will make them available to dealers for the necessary repairs."

Until then, drivers like Grimes are left with a dilemma of whether or not to keep using potentially dangerous vehicles.

"I'm sure tons of people have been in accidents with the same recalled product and not had a problem," she said. "But are you willing to flip that coin? I just don't know."

With files from The Associated Press

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