WASHINGTON (The Detroit News) -- General Motors Co. said Tuesday it is recalling 243,000 crossover vehicles over concerns their second-row safety belts could be defective.

GM said the recall covers 243,403 vehicles -- the 2009-10 Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook – to “inspect second-row safety belts for damage that in rare cases could make an occupant think the belt is properly latched when it isn't.”
The Detroit-based automaker says it has received no reports of accident or injuries stemming from the recall.
About 207,000 of the vehicles are in the United States; the rest are in Canada, Mexico, China, Saudi Arabia and other countries. GM said it discovered damaged second-row safety belt buckles among warranty returns.
In some vehicles, the automaker said, the second-row seat side trim shield may restrict the upward rotation of the seat belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat, GM said.
If enough force is applied when the seats are returned to a normal position, the shield around the release button could be pushed onto the button and make it malfunction.
The buckle appears to be latched when it really isn't. GM isn't aware of any cases where the belts failed to perform properly in a crash.
“Because of the potential for a false-latch condition, we want customers to return their vehicles to have the recall repair performed as soon as possible,” said Jeff Boyer, GM executive director of safety.
GM assigned a product engineer to look at the issue in January when it received a report that a belt did not buckle properly. By February, GM surveyed company-owned vehicles to see if the problem was widespread. By July, the company had discovered just three known cases of a belt not buckling properly. Nevertheless, GM decided Aug. 5 to conduct the recall. Owners will begin receiving letters this month, urging them to schedule appointments with dealership service departments.
Separately Tuesday, Mazda Motor Corp. said it is recalling 215,000 2007-09 Mazda 3 and Mazda 5 vehicles in the United States over a steering issue, caused by rust.
Mazda first got complaints on the issue in Japan in 2008, and last summer began fixing vehicles there because of a high number of complaints.
In June, NHTSA opened an investigation after getting 33 complaints and three crashes from Mazda owners over the steering problem. Mazda said it didn't know of a large number in the United States, and said it is recalling the vehicles even though it doesn't see “an unreasonable safety risk.”