Defect Involved

General Motors has decided that certain 1997 Chevrolet Camaro & Pontiac Firebird Convertible model vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies" which requires that seat belt retractors must not lock-up while a vehicle is parked on less than a 15, slope.

These vehicles were manufactured with seat belt retractors out of design position which may cause the retractor to lock-up on slopes less severe than the FMVSS requirement. As a result, occupants may not be able to extract and fasten their seat belts until the vehicle is moved to a more level surface. In the event of a vehicle crash, unbelted occupants are more at risk of injury than those using seat belts

To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring and in order to comply with FMVSS 209, dealers are to inspect for proper front seat belt retractor position. Retractors found to be improperly positioned will be reinstalled correctly.