GM child seat instruction corrections

<br>WASHINGTON (AP) _ General Motors Corp. is sending child seat instructions to 1.7 million vehicle owners after a federal investigation found the company's vehicle manuals were inadequate, GM and

Friday, July 25th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ General Motors Corp. is sending child seat instructions to 1.7 million vehicle owners after a federal investigation found the company's vehicle manuals were inadequate, GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday.

NHTSA said GM didn't meet a federal requirement to explain how to find and use child safety seat anchors _ also called the LATCH system_ in the back seats of 13 different brands. The safety anchors, which connect to child seats and hold them in place, have been on GM vehicles since 2001, spokesman Jim Schell said.

No injuries have been reported due to the inadequate instructions, NHTSA said.

Schell said the problem was first noted by Transport Canada, NHTSA's Canadian counterpart. When NHTSA informed GM, the company agreed that its instructions weren't clear, Schell said. Schell said GM hadn't received any complaints from consumers.

``This is one of those types of recalls that we were able to respond pretty quickly to what needed to be done,'' he said.

The recall will affect a total of 1,707,825 vehicles. Those vehicles are: the 2003 Buick Rendezvous; the 2003 Cadillac CTS; the 2003 Chevrolet Express; the 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo; the 2002-2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer; the 2001-2003 Chevrolet Venture; the 2002-2003 GMC Envoy; the 2003 GMC Savana; the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero; the 2002-2003 Oldsmobile Bravada; the 2001-2003 Pontiac Aztek; the 2001 Pontiac Grand Am; and the 2001-2003 Pontiac Montana.

Owners will receive supplemental instructions in the mail in August, Schell said.

Federal safety officials have said that explaining the LATCH system to consumers is critical, since an improperly installed child seat may not be safe.