Investigations
INAPPROPRIATE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE97006 - closed, opened 1997-01-30.
NHTSA investigation PE97006 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 1997-01-30 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1997-05-23 - 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 PE97006 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: "IN JANUARY OF 1997, ODI OPENED A PE BASED ON 9 ODI COMPLAINTS. ODI IS NOW AWARE OF 51 COMPLAINTS OF ALLEGED INAPPROPRIATE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS. TYPICAL COMPLAINTS INCLUDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS AFTER THE VEHICLE HIT A POT HO..." 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
IN JANUARY OF 1997, ODI OPENED A PE BASED ON 9 ODI COMPLAINTS. ODI IS NOW AWARE OF 51 COMPLAINTS OF ALLEGED INAPPROPRIATE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS. TYPICAL COMPLAINTS INCLUDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS AFTER THE VEHICLE HIT A POT HOLE WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 20 AND 45 MPH AND AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 20 AND 60 MPH FOR NO APPARENT REASON. APPROXIMATELY 21 DRIVERS ALLEGED THAT THEY DID NOT HIT ANYTHING PRIOR TO THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. IN FOUR OF THESE INCIDENTS THE DRIVER CLAIMS TO HAVE LOST CONTROL AND HIT A CURB AFTER THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. IN ADDITION THERE ARE FOUR INCIDENTS WHERE THE DRIVER ALLEGES THAT THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AFTER A TIRE BLOWOUT WHILE DRIVING. LESS COMMON INCIDENTS INCLUDE ALLEGATIONS OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYING AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE AND REMOVING THE KEY, CROSSING RAILROAD TRACKS, WHILE BEING TOWED, WHILE BRAKING, AFTER HITTING A CURB, AND AFTER HITTING A MANHOLE COVER. ODI IS UPGRADING THIS INVESTIGATION TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE REPORTS GATHERED TO DATE, THE SENSORS USED IN THE VEHICLES, AND TO ASSESS THE IMPACT THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT HAS ON HIGHWAY SAFETY.
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.