Chevrolet Malibu passenger airbag sensor set up wrong

NHTSA campaign 18V400000 · Reported 2018-06-14 · General Motors LLC

high How serious is it? About this label

Serious — the front passenger airbag may behave the wrong way in a crash; the notice does not tell you to stop driving, but consider keeping children and small passengers out of the front seat until it's fixed.

What's wrong, in plain English

During an earlier repair, some Malibus got a passenger seat sensor that was not set up for that car's seat. This sensor is supposed to tell whether an adult or a child is in the front passenger seat so the airbag knows whether to fire. With the wrong setup, the airbag may not go off in a crash when it should, or may go off when it should not. Dealers install the correct sensor kit free.

What you should do

1. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if your 2016-2018 Malibu is covered by recall 18V400000 (GM's number is 18208).
2. Call your Chevrolet dealer or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 to schedule the repair.
3. Have the front passenger seat sensor kit replaced — at no cost to you.

Affected vehicles (1)

2018 Chevrolet Malibu

Who to contact

Chevrolet — official Chevrolet recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-222-1020

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Will my Chevrolet's air bags actually deploy in a crash? · all 19 Chevrolet recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
Summary: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.
Safety risk: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.