GM recalls nearly 500,000 SUVs due to seat belt malfunction

• The company said the 484,155 recalled vehicles' seatbelts "may not properly restrain" passengers in crashes, potentially leading to injuries.
• "The rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may have been improperly formed," according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Transportation. (Go deeper).
• GM said it does not know of any accidents or injuries related to the malfunction.

Flashback: GM said that on May 14, a customer told a dealership about a faulty seatbelt assembly in a 2021 Suburban. A manager reported it to GM's safety program on May 18, and the company launched an investigation on May 31.

• Reports possibly connected to the same malfunction were sent to GM between October 2020 and June 2022, the company said.
• Operators at the seatbelt maker's plant "may have not properly followed manufacturing processes and inadvertently missed the rivet forming operation," GM said.

What's next: GM informed dealers on Aug. 11 and will send letters to affected owners beginning on Sept. 26.