GM recalls 290,000 cars for inadvertent air bag deployment

DETROIT, Michigan (CNN) -- General Motors Corp. has informed 290,000 car owners in the United States and Canada that their driver's side air bags can deploy without warning and need to be recalled, but the company won't have replacement parts available until next year, a spokesman said Monday.

Owners of 1995 Buick Regals and 1995 and 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supremes were sent letters informing them of the problem about two months ago, said GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan.

The recalls were made public Monday when Automotive News, a trade publication, ran a front-page story describing the problem.

Until replacement airbag inflator modules are ready, "We're recommending you just stay belted up, always wear your seatbelt, and keep a safe distance between yourself and the driver's-side air bag," Rhadigan told CNN.

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"We'll work as fast as we can to get the parts in the pipeline, and, hopefully, minimize this."

The air bag deployment has occurred 116 times, resulting in about 60 injuries, which were limited to abrasions and bruises, he said. "There have been no crashes, thankfully."

Rhadigan blamed corrosion in the airbag module for the inadvertent deployment. He would not say who makes the faulty part. GM does not make airbags or the airbag inflator modules.

In some cases, the deployment is preceded by illumination of the airbag light in the dash. "If it goes on and stays on, it's recommended that the customers safely pull over and call the roadside assistance numbers listed in the owner's manual and have the vehicle towed to the nearest dealership," Rhadigan said.

In an unknown number of cases, the air bags deployed without warning, he said

GM recalls 290,000 cars for inadvertent air bag deployment
May 15, 2000

General Motors
Automotive News - North America's Leading Automotive Newspaper
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

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