Toronto, Ontario — General Motors-certified repairers ought to keep an eye out as several Chevrolet Malibus on Canadian roads have been identified to have been improperly welded in the assembly stage, leading to the potential for bumper-based ADAS sensors to be rendered non-functional.
Transport Canada’s recall notice issued for the model, last updated on Dec. 28, states that on some Malibu models, the “front bumper impact bar may not be welded correctly.”
“As a result, the front crash sensors may not work properly. This could cause the airbag system not to work properly in a crash,” according to the notice.
The government safety regulator says GM has agreed to inform owners and dealers of the defect, which has been identified on three 2022 model year vehicles thus far.
The precarious nature of modern bumper repair is a common talking point for today’s technicians, a formerly simple and routine repair that now lives at the crossroads of increasingly complex refinishing and ADAS calibration procedures.
To that end, many OEMs including Ford and GM, make a regular practice of updating repairers on best practices for repairing their vehicles, especially as the technology governing these procedures becomes increasingly complex.
