Tag Archives: improper airbag deployment

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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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.

Chevy Impala – Airbag Electrical Problem

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General Motors have decided that a defect relating to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. The front passenger seat frame could rub against and damage the passenger presence sensor (PPS) module wiring, causing the system to improperly suppress the front passenger airbag. Drivers should be alerted of a problem in three different ways.

  • The service airbag message will be displayed in the DIC.
  • The airbag telltale light may be illuminated.
  • The indicator will show that the passenger airbag is off even if a passenger is in the front passenger seat.

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2016 Nissan Sentra and Leaf Airbag Defect

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Nissan is conducting a safety campaign on certain 2016 Nissan Sentra and Leaf vehicles to inspect the passenger side airbag module and main body harness. Due to a supplier error, the front passenger airbag wiring harness connector cylinder may have been manufactured out of specification. The wiring harness connector could disconnect from the airbag module completely.

  • If the connector becomes fully disengaged, a warning lamp will illuminate but the airbag will not deploy in a crash where it is designed to deploy.
  • If the connector becomes partially disengaged, a warning lamp may not illuminate.

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GM Airbag Problem Could Lead To Improper Inflation

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GM will be notifying the owners of certain 2016 Chevrolet and GMC vehicles about a problem affecting the driver frontal airbag, after a supplier investigation found some airbags do no meet the airbag fill time requirements for colder temperatures. According to the defect report, the secondary chemical enhancer required for proper deployment of second-stage frontal airbags was not loaded during the airbag inflator build. Vehicle involved in a high speed crash that triggers the second stage deployment of the driver frontal airbag may not fill the airbag as completely and as quickly as designed, which could lead to an increased risk of injury to the driver. Continue reading →