Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
AIR BAGS
EA99026GENERAL MOTORS CORP.08/31/199912/28/2001INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT00V171000
 There is no summary currently available
EA96023GENERAL MOTORS CORP.09/27/199602/13/1998INAPPROPRIATE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
 Airbag(s) deploy unexpectedly, startling and/or injuring the occupants.five vehicles allegedly experienced airbag deployment due to corrosion in thesensing and diagnostic module which is located on the floor under the front passengers seat.two additional complaints allege inappropriate deployment; however, the cause of these two deployments is unknown at this time.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
AIR BAGS
03/15/2003220
 Saturday march 8, 2003, i was on my way home from shopping with my 4-year-old son when the driver side airbag of my 1996 pontiac grand am exploded in my face. the deployment of the bag forced my arm back into my face snapping my head back and completely disorienting me. once i regained my bearings i realized i was northbound in the southbound lanes of winston churchill blvd. in mississauga. the next morning i went to the hospital to have my arm and neck looked at. fortunately my arm wasn't broken. it was however severely bruised and still non functional. my neck was still very stiff and sore. i am currently undergoing treatment for whiplash and ligament damage to my arm. since the date of the accident i have found out a few things regarding my 1996 pontiac grand am. 1- there is a sensor/module under the carpet under the front passenger seat that when in contact with moisture can corrode and cause the airbags to deploy. 2- my firewall had been leaking water under my carpet to the area where this sensor/module is located. my firewall is so rusted it can?t be repaired. 3- gm considers this a maintenance issue. i contacted transport canada to report the incident and was informed that they are currently investigating 1995-1999 pontiac grand am's for water leaking into the car through the firewall and pooling on the floor. this has caused ?many? airbags to deploy without warning. i have also read many similar reports on the nhtsa website. a local gm dealership had my car for 17 days while gm investigated but in the end i was told that the module/sensor was too corroded to read the information stored in it. i have requested the module/sensor back. ken locke from gm contacted me he said gm was willing to do something for me. gm will repair my airbag system if i agree to two things. 1- i pay for and repair the water leak in my car (the irrepairable one) 2- i sign a release stating that this matter is closed and i have no further claims pertaining to this matter. .
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
02/17/2001
 Vehicle hit a tree at 40-45mph. upon impact, airbags did not deploy, resulting in minor injuries. vehicle was tatalled. manufacturer will be notified. *ak
05/20/2000101/01/1998
 10 seconds after vehicle hit curb at 12 mph driverside and passengerside airbags deployed unexpectedly. dealer has been notified. *ak *ml