It looks like theres a major airbag recall on 4.7 million cars and certain 02 & 03 Monte Carlos are involved. The NHTSA website has a vin search feature but it seems to be overwhelmed. Here is a link to one news story.
Airbag defect spurs recall of 4.7 million vehicles - The Washington Post

 

Just read that myself, more recalls, lovely...

 

Gm is not the only one for recalls. My dad and I got one on our ford f150 for gas tank straps rotting out!! Worse part is, our tanks straps rotted out about 6 months ago.

 

Here is a CUT-N-PASTE list from the Washington Post web article. While it says "potentially", the 2002 and 2003 Monte Carlo is listed. It is the same list as on safercar.gov. I got on to the VIN check web site this morning and mine only has the key recall listed. Right now I can't get back on there. I guess it is swamped.

NHTSA said the affected vehicles by manufacturer are:
Toyota: 778,177 vehicles potentially affected
2002 – 2004 Lexus SC
2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2004 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2004 Toyota Tundra
2003 – 2004 Pontiac Vibe
Honda: 2,803,214 vehicles potentially affected
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord (4 cyl)
2001 – 2002 Honda Accord (6 cyl)
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
Nissan: 437,712 vehicles potentially affected
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2003 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2003 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – Infiniti FX
Mazda: 18,050 vehicles potentially affected
2003 – 2004 Mazda6
2004 Mazda RX-8
BMW: 573,935 vehicles potentially affected
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible
General Motors: 133,221 vehicles potentially affected
2002 – 2003 Buick LeSabre
2002 – 2003 Buick Rendezvous
2002 – 2003 Cadillac DeVille
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Impala
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Venture
2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy
2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy XL
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette
2002 – 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
2002 – 2003 Pontiac Montana

 

I had the gas tank fall out of my 96 Ram 1500. They never had a recall on the straps but it was clear they should have done a better job of corrosion protection.

 

• NHTSA issues recall, urgent warning on defective air bags
  
  Washington Post-17 hours ago
  More than 4.7 million vehicles are involved in the recall. ... Monte Carlo, 2002-2003 Chevrolet Venture, 2002-2003 GMC Envoy, 2002-2003 ...
  
  
• Vehicles with air bag problem that should be fixed
  
  The San Luis Obispo Tribune-21 hours ago
  The Associated PressOctober 20, 2014 Updated 13 hours ago ... 4.7 million car owners whose air bag inflators have been recalled to get them repaired. ... 2002 to 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 2002 to 2003 Chevrolet Venture, 2002 to 2003 ...
  
  

Thanks `Steve "If it's not one thing , it's another"
Wish everyone good luck on getting your air bag replaced...

Please let us know your experience on getting it done...

 

I read the recall list in the Washington Post and a couple other sites. Unfortunately, the journalists did not check when the recalls were posted (or wanted to sensationalize there story). The Monte Carlo was involved in an airbag recall, but that was back in '02 - 12 years ago. If you go to the NHTSA website you will see that the Monte Carlo is not being recalled in this air bag recall. If you still have concerns you can enter your VIN and NHTSA will tell you if your vehicle has any outstanding recalls that haven't been performed. Your local dealer can do the same thing.

 

Thanks `Mike for your update & I'm sorry that I deleted your prior post on this topic. I should have known from all your previous posts & help to the MCF that you have never been wrong on tech information...Please forgive me for I do not know what I'm doing the majority of the time...(Except ?, filling in empty spaces on the MCF

^ ^ "We live & hopefully we learn from our many mistake in life"

 

New list released on the NHSTA website. Monte Carlo not on it. Thanks 03SSLE you were correct but it was the NHTSA site that was listing the wrong info. Even after you posted it was still wrong for me but the page could have been in cache. At least they got it updated but its just annoying that they can't do their job correctly.

 

you can go to gm.com and check too. heres what comes up for my 2003 jeff gordon edition:

GM Recall #:
N140350
NHTSA Recall #:
14V400
Date Issued:
Aug 12, 2014
Recall Title:

UNINTENDED IGNITION KEY ROTATION

Recall Description:

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in 2000-2005 MY Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2005 MY Chevrolet Malibu, 1999-2004 MY Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 MY Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 MY Pontiac Grand Am, and 2004-2008 MY Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. If the key ring is carrying added weight and the vehicle goes off road or experiences some other jarring event, it may unintentionally move the key away from the run position. If this occurs, engine power, power steering and power braking may be affected, increasing the risk of a crash.

Safety Risk Description:

The timing of the key movement out of the run position, relative to the activation of the sensing algorithm of the crash event, may result in the airbags not deploying, increasing the potential for occupant injury in certain kinds of crashes. Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key ring, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring.

Repair Description:

Dealers are to install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge.