Investigations
Inadvertent Air Bag Deployment
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE11035 - closed, opened 2011-09-23.
NHTSA investigation PE11035 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2011-09-23 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2012-01-30 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
A Preliminary Evaluation like PE11035 is the entry point of the federal defect-investigation process. NHTSA engineers scan complaint databases, field reports, and manufacturer data to decide whether an Engineering Analysis is warranted, whether a voluntary recall is already sufficient, or whether the pattern does not rise to a defect finding.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "Based on analysis of Chrysler's response, and including ODI's consumer complaints, ODI has identified 87 reports of air bag inadvertent deployment incidents resulting in 50 alleged injuries. The injuries consists of burn..." Investigations are the early-warning layer of the federal auto-safety system, sitting upstream of formal recalls and defect orders. Whether this one closes without action or escalates into an Engineering Analysis, the full history stays in the ODI archive so researchers, litigators, and buyers can pull the paper trail at any time.
Investigation Summary
Based on analysis of Chrysler's response, and including ODI's consumer complaints, ODI has identified 87 reports of air bag inadvertent deployment incidents resulting in 50 alleged injuries. The injuries consists of burn/cuts and bruises to the upper body region. Forty-two (42) of the 87 incidents involved the driver frontal air bag, and the remaining 45 incidents involved both the driver and passenger frontal air bags inadvertently deploying without a crash. These incidents occurred both at vehicle startup or while the vehicle is being operated on the roadway. Some owners noted that the air bag warning light had illuminated, or had intermittently illuminated, and that this occurred just prior to the air bag deployment, while others stated they did not observe any illumination of the air bag light. Inspection of the Occupant Restraint Control (ORC) module conducted by Chrysler indicates that an internal electronic circuit (an ASIC chip) which controls air bag deployment fails due to an electrical over stress (EOS) condition possibly caused by a transient voltage spike. Chrysler is in the process of identifying potential root causes of the component failure and/or a source for the electrical over stress. In addition, Chrysler noted that there have been no reports of inadvertent air bag deployment in vehicles manufactured after a March 19, 2003 production date. However, Chrysler had not identified a component or other change that would explain why the inadvertent deployments ceased. Accordingly, this investigation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA12-001) to further study the alleged defect and its consequences. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10435710 10429579 10429306 10428411 10407276 10399551 10335637 10283484 10249231 10166706 10055405
About This Investigation Type
A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first phase of NHTSA's investigation process. It is opened when the agency identifies a potential safety defect pattern, usually triggered by consumer complaints, manufacturer reports, or field monitoring. During a PE, NHTSA gathers information to determine whether a formal engineering analysis is warranted.
Data from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Cross-references: NHTSA recall campaign API and NHTSA FARS where fatality records overlap. PlainCars does not rate or recommend vehicles. about how PlainCars sources NHTSA data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.