There are three recalls of interest to discuss this week. Two are installation-related and the last one is a warning of possible blame. The first two involve care and caution during a door glass installation.

The Chrysler driver side door wiring harness is made with too low of a gauge wire that could cause a fire. One of the first warning signs, however, could be the door glass mechanism and switch malfunctioning. If you are called about a door glass malfunction on this brand new vehicle, make sure that the customer is aware of the recall before you begin the repair. You do not want to be blamed for a fire after the fact.

Report Receipt Date: August 05, 2014

National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) Campaign Number: 14V480000

Component(s):

Potential Number of Units Affected: 8

Vehicle Make, Model, Model Year(s)

• Chrysler 200 2015

Manufacturer: Chrysler Group LLC

Summary:

Chrysler Group LLC is recalling certain model year 2015 Chrysler 200 vehicles manufactured May 19, 2014 to June 21, 2014. The affected vehicles may have been built with a driver side door wiring harness of an insufficient wire gauge, resulting in excessive heat which may melt the wiring insulation.

Consequence:

Excessive heat and melting wiring insulation may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy:

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door wiring harness, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in September 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800/853-1403. Chrysler’s number for this recall is P43.

Notes:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888/327-4236 (TTY 800/424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

The second recall is concerning the seatbelt pretensioner. Although we seldom deal with these devices, we do replace door glasses that can have broken glass embed in the seat belt retractor where the pretensioner is located. The seatbelt pretensioner is activated with an explosive charge, at impact, that retracts the belt the instant a collision occurs. This retraction pulls the occupant back into the seat. If we allow glass pieces to remain embedded in the retractor or we use a tool to extract glass pieces from the retractor, we could damage the pretensioner or the belt itself.

This recall states that the pretensioner is already defective and needs replacement. Make sure your customer has answered the recall and had the pretensioners replaced.

Report Receipt Date: August 08, 2014

NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V488000

Component(s):

Potential Number of Units Affected: 48,114

Vehicle Make, Model, Model Year(s)

• Buick Encore 2013
• Cadillac ATS 2013

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

Summary:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012 to March 1, 2013 and model year 2013 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012 to May 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the driver and passenger lap belt pretensioner cables may not lock in a retracted position, allowing the seat belts to extend when pulled upon.

Consequence:

If the seat belts do not remain locked in the retracted position when under load, the seat occupant may not be adequately restrained in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front the driver’s and the passenger’s lap belt pretensioners, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. GM will send an interim notification in early October 2014 and will send a second notification when remedy parts are available. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 800/521-7300, or Cadillac customer service at 800/458-8006. GM’s number for this recall is 14171.

Notes:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888/327-4236 (TTY 800/424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

The last recall involves the center console latch. This certainly doesn’t sound like it would affect our performance or the performance of automotive glass components; however, we do enter the inside of the vehicle and in some cases make contact with the center console. If you are not aware of this simple recall, you could be blamed for something you did not cause.

Call attention to this issue with your customer before the installation begins.