Buick Recall 16V-651: Seat belts – pretensioner

Affected: 2014–2017 Buick Encore, 2014–2016 Buick Lacrosse, 2015–2017 Cadillac Escalade and 16 more. Filed with NHTSA on September 8, 2016, covering about 3,640,162 vehicles.

The problem

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.

The risk

A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

The fix

GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

Recall details

NHTSA campaign16V-651 (16V651000)
Manufacturer number16007
ManufacturerGeneral Motors, LLC
ComponentSeat belts › Pretensioner
Report dateSeptember 8, 2016
Owners notifiedOctober 13, 2016
Vehicles affected3,640,162
Initiated byManufacturer

Vehicles covered

Plus 1 other model/year combinations not covered on this site.

Owner complaints about the seat belts

Frequently asked questions

Is the recall 16V-651 repair free?

Yes. Buick dealers will fix the problem at no cost: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016.

How do I know if my car is included?

Not every vehicle of the listed model years is affected — the recall covers 3,640,162 vehicles built in a certain window. Check your 17-character VIN with our VIN recall check or at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.