Holden recalls cars over faulty seatbelts

Holden has issued a recall of nearly 42,000 vehicles after discovering fault could cause the front seatbelts not to work properly in an accident.

The issue affects select VF Commodore and WN Caprice models.

In a written statement, the company revealed the pretensioner wiring harness on certain cars may make contact with a bolt at the base of the seatbelt assembly.

“In this circumstance, if the pretensioner wiring harness develops wear as a result of contacting the bolt, the airbag warning light may illuminate on the instrument cluster and there is a risk that the pretensioner may not deploy in the event of an accident,” the statement read.

“All other safety devices, including airbags, are unaffected by this condition.

“There have been no confirmed reports of this condition in the field. The issue was raised from an internal investigation following an isolated occurrence at the plant.

“There have been no reports of any accidents or injuries resultant from this condition.”

Holden said it will contact potentially affected customers directly to “arrange a quick, simple and free-of-charge inspection and repair”.

The West Australian understands the recall comes after Holden issued its dealers with stop-delivery notices last week due to the problem.

This is Holden’s fourth recall this year, though the first involving the VF Commodore which will be the last of its kind made in Australia before Holden ceases local manufacturing in 2017.

Holden’s parent company General Motors has faced even bigger challenges in the US, where it has recalled over 13.5 million cars so far this year due a range of issues.