CASTLETON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Kelly Root has been wondering for nearly nine months whether it’s safe to drive her 2017 Chevrolet Traverse.
“I don’t know what to do,” Root told News 8 Sunday. “I’m just kind of angry.”
General Motors issued a voluntary recall last May over concerns of the airbag exploding during deployment and sending metal shrapnel into the cabin, potentially seriously injuring or even killing those inside. The recall affected more than a million GM vehicles, including more than 457,000 Chevy Traverse vehicles plus GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave vehicles from the 2014 through 2017 model years.
GM said the recall was issued out of an abundance of caution. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , GM learned in March 2023 that a 2017 Traverse was involved in a crash where the front-driver airbag exploded during deployment. The driver suffered facial injuries as a result, according to the NHTSA. GM was also aware of at least two prior incidents where the airbag inflator inside a 2015 Chevy Traverse ruptured during deployment, NHTSA said.