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Archive for the ‘Airbags’ Category

Some Nissan airbags might not deploy

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Nissan Motor Co  will recall 204,361 cars from its 2007 and 2008 model years in the United States because a passenger side airbag could fail to deploy properly in an accident.

The voluntary recall covers 2007 and 2008 Nissan Altima, Altima Coupe, 350Z, Murano and Rogue; and Infiniti G35 Sedan, G37 Coupe and EX35 built from March 12, 2007 to May 27, 2008, the company said in a notice to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Nissan said it began to investigate the issue in November 2007 after receiving several warranty reports of airbag warning lamps flashing. In late September, Nissan determined that a safety-related defect existed and it should conduct a recall.

In some vehicles, the passenger side airbag could fail to receive a proper signal and a supplemental airbag warning light could flash and a status light would illuminate to warn the driver that it is not working properly.

Nissan believes less than 1 percent of the vehicles actually contain the defect. It plans to test the vehicles and replace the hardware if necessary. The recall is expected to begin November 3.

Ford Escape Hybrid finds NYC inhospitable

Friday, October 24th, 2008

New York City’s effort to increase fuel efficiency has hit a significant snag. The Ford Escape Hybrid, which many NYC taxi fleets chose to replace the venerable Crown Victoria, doesn’t react very well in a crash.

A new report by a noted automotive engineer exposes several safety hazards of hybrid taxis in New York City, including rollovers as well as other safety-related concerns.

The report found several safety hazards, many of which can be attributed to the unintended use of the Ford Escape Hybrid — a standard passenger vehicle with a three star crash rating — as a New York City taxicab. In analyzing the rollover accident, the report found:

• The side-curtain airbag did not deploy normally due to insufficient space between the partition and the top of the car.
• The L-shaped partition interfered with the 3-point unibelt because it changed the anchoring position of the belt.
• The partition did not stay in place during the crash and may have resulted in a violent head strike against the hard partition if there had been a passenger in the right front seat.

A direct result of these findings means that NYC’s mandates likely won’t be enforced next month.

BMW recalls cars for faulty airbags

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

German automaker BMW has issued a recall of about 200,000 cars and SUVs due reports of airbag failure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Office of Defect Investigation.

According to reports, wear and tear caused by a people getting in and out of the front passenger side seat can cause the front passenger airbag sensors to deactivate and fail to deploy even in a severe car wreck. The passenger-side head protection airbags remain safe.

This warning applies to the following BMW vehicles: the 2004 to 2005 5-Series standard and sport seat models; the 2004 to 2006 X3 and the 2006 3-Series with sport seats.

The recall will begin in late September.

BMW will also extend the airbag warrantees to cover 10 years from the original registration with no mileage limit on the 2006 6-Series and 3-Series with a standard seat, the 2004 to 2005 Z4, the 2004 to 2006 7-Series; the 2006 X5 and the 2004 to 2006 5-Series with a comfort seat.

If you are a concerned and have questions about this recall or others, you can contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.