Investigations
OVERSENSITIVE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS
NHTSA Recall Query RQ98013 - closed, opened 1998-08-26.
NHTSA investigation RQ98013 is a Recall Query opened on 1998-08-26 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1999-08-13 - 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 Recall Query like RQ98013 evaluates whether a previously issued recall is actually fixing the problem. NHTSA opens an RQ when owners continue to report the original defect after the recall remedy is installed, or when completion rates fall short of the agency's expectations for that risk tier.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "ON JUNE 26, 1998, GENERAL MOTORS BEGAIN A SAFETY RECALL, 98V-146, TO RECALIBRATE THE AIR BAG SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE (SDM) IN THE 1996 AND SOME 1997 J BODY CARS, CAVALIER AND SUNFIRE. DUE TO CERTAIN CALIBRATIONS IN..." 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
ON JUNE 26, 1998, GENERAL MOTORS BEGAIN A SAFETY RECALL, 98V-146, TO RECALIBRATE THE AIR BAG SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE (SDM) IN THE 1996 AND SOME 1997 J BODY CARS, CAVALIER AND SUNFIRE. DUE TO CERTAIN CALIBRATIONS IN THE AIR BAG SDM, THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK OF INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN A LOW SPEED CRASH OR WHEN AN OBJECT STRIKES THE FLOOR PAN. THE RECALL POPULATION CONSISTS OF 675,302 VEHICLES BUILT FROM APRIL 1995 THROUGH MAY 1997. ODI HAS RECEIVED 8 OWNER REPORTS ALLEGING INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT WITHOUT A CRASH. THE PURPOSER OF THE RQ IS TO DETERMINE WHETHER GM SHOULD EXPAND THE RECALL TO INCLUDE THESE VEHICLES. CLOSING RESUME NOTE: AS OF AUGUST 5, 1999, ODI RECEIVED ONE ADDITIONAL COMPLAINT REGARDING THE ALLEGED DEFECT. THE INCIDENT RATES FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE ABOUT ONE-THRID OF THE RATES OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES (WHEN THE RECALL WAS INITIATED). BASED ON THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION, A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOSE NOT EXIST. THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY FUTURE CIRCUMSTANCES.
About This Investigation Type
A Recall Query (RQ) evaluates the effectiveness of a previously issued recall. NHTSA opens an RQ when consumer complaints suggest that a recall remedy may not be adequately addressing the safety issue, or when the recall completion rate appears insufficient.
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.