Tag Archives: air bag safety problem

2017 Chevrolet Malibu Airbag Defect

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General Motors will be contacting the owners of certain 2017 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles regarding a problem affecting their vehicles airbag safety. According to reports filed with the NHTSA, the right-hand rear side airbag may have weak welds on the inflator manifold. In the event of a right-side impact, this defect can cause inflator components to separate and propel debris or hot gas into the interior compartment. It is also possible that the airbag may inflate partially or not at all.

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their dealers to have the rear side airbag module replaced. For more information about the problem, owners are asked to contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM’s number for this recall is 16146 and the NHTSA campaign number is 16V-870.

2017 Jeep Cherokee Airbag Safety Defect

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Chrysler will be contacting the owners of certain 2017 Jeep Cherokee vehicles regarding a problem that could compromise the airbag safety system. According to the defect report, the affected vehicles were manufactured with driver’s knee airbags that may have improper welds. The problem could result in inadequate airbag inflation or possible additional injuries to the driver under certain types of crashes.

Dealers will correct the problem by replacing the driver’s knee air bag module. For more information about the recall, owners are asked to contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler’s number for this recall is S84 and the NHTSA campaign number is 16V-799.

Eleventh Death Tied To Takata Airbags Confirmed By NHTSA

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The Department of Transportation continues to ask for the news media and public’s assistance to find vehicles with unrepaired Takata airbags, after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed a crash fatality in Riverside County, California is tied to a rupture of a recalled Takata air bag inflator.

The victim died after suffering injuries in a crash on Friday, Sept. 30. The vehicle involved was a 2001 Honda Civic first recalled in 2008. Records show that the recall repair was never completed. The vehicle is included in a list of Honda and Acura vehicles which have been identified as being a substantially higher risk. These airbag inflators in these vehicles have a manufacturing defect which increases the potential for a dangerous rupture upon deployment. These ruptures are more likely to happen in vehicles that have spent significant periods of time in areas of high humidity such as Florida, Texas, parts of the Gulf Coast and Southern California. These vehicles show rupture rates as high as fifty percent in a laboratory setting.

The higher-risk inflators are in the following 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles:

  • 2001-002 Honda Civic
  • 2001-2002 Honda Accord
  • 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL
  • 2002 Honda CR-V
  • 2002 Honda Odyssey
  • 2003 Acura 3.2CL
  • 2003 Honda Pilot

2016-2017 Volvo S90 & XC90 Airbag Fault Warning Indication

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Volvo will be asking the owners of certain 2016-2017 S90 and XC90 vehicles to return to their dealerships to correct a problem affecting the air conditioning system. Due to an incorrect installation, condensation from the air conditioning drainage hose may leak into the passenger compartment. Drivers may notice some air conditioning functionality issues, and if the problem is not repaired, the moisture could affect the supplemental restraint and the engine management systems. Drivers will be alerted of a problem through various warning messages from the driver information module (DIM). Continue reading →

Chrysler Occupant Restraint Control (ORC) Problem

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Chrysler will be contacting the owners of approximately 1.5 million Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep owners, about a problem affecting the Occupant Restraint Control (ORC). According to the defect report, a short could develop in the ORC module and prevent the frontal airbags, side airbags, and seat belt pretensioners from deploying.

The vehicles affected by this problem include:

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GM Airbag Software Defect

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General Motors will be contacting the owners of certain 2014-2017 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles, about a problem affecting the airbag deployment system. The recall was initiated after a report was filed in GM’s “Seak Up for Safety” system, relating to a fatal crash involving a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado truck. According to the recall report, the sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) in certain vehicles may have a software defect which could prevent the deployment of frontal airbags and pretensioners.

The vehicles involved in this recall include:
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Another NHTSA Investigation Into Airbag Safety

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have upgraded an investigation into exploding airbag inflators made by ARC Automotive Incorporated after a Canadian woman was killed during a low speed accident. According to a spokesman for Transport Canada, the woman may have survived the accident had she not suffered shrapnel injuries. The NHTSA began looking at ARC airbags last year after reports that an Ohio woman was seriously injured by a rupturing airbag when her 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan crashed. Investigators say another injury involving a 2004 Kia Optima also had an ARC inflator installed from the same factory.

The NHTSA are focusing on airbags made between 2000 and September 2004, but do not believe that humidity is the cause of the problem. The probe into the ARC inflators is similar to the Takata issue which resulted in 69 million Takata airbags recalled in the U.S.

View the full details of the NHTSA ARC Airbag Investigation HERE.

NHTSA Calls On Media And Public To Help Fix High-Risk Takata Airbags

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New data affecting defective Takata air bag inflators in certain 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles, has found a high risk of ruptures during air bag deployment. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are asking the media and public to ensure that vehicles in this population are found and fixed before they cause injuries or fatalities. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, there is a 50% higher chance that these air bag inflators could rupture in a crash. Owners should stop driving their vehicles and have the airbags replace immediately. Continue reading →