Inadvertent Air Bag Releases Investigated Safety Board Looking For Defects In Gm Systems

The government’s highway safety agency is investigating five complaints that air bags inadvertently deployed in some General Motors cars while they were on the road.

Engineers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are studying the air bag system to see if there is a defect, the agency said in a report issued Thursday.

Investigators said both front air bags unexpectedly deployed while drivers were traveling between 10 and 40 m.p.h. because the module that controls whether or not the air bag should be activated was corroded.

In all five cases, the carpeting underneath the front passenger seat, where the module is located, was soaked. The module rests on top of the carpet.

The amount of water spilled varied - in one case it was a glass of water, in another case a bucket and in a third the carpet was doused when the vehicle went through a car wash, the report said.

GM cars with the same module are 1996 Chevrolet Luminas, Chevrolet Monte Carlos, Buick Regals, Pontiac Grand Prixes and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supremes. There are about 396,000 of the vehicles on the road.

“We are cooperating and providing information to NHTSA on this,” said GM spokesman Kyle Johnson.

Johnson said the company had not determined there was a defect in the module that would pose a danger to passengers. But GM told the safety agency that the module “is not sealed from moisture intrusion.”

Three passengers suffered injuries from the deploying bags, including minor burns, numbness in the hands, a strained neck and a cut eye, the report said.

The highway safety agency opens any auto safety inquiry with a preliminary evaluation in which the government and manufacturer exchange paperwork, including any complaints.

The investigation then could be upgraded to an engineering analysis, during which engineers study the parts to see if they are defective - as in the GM case. The investigation eventually could lead to a recall for repairs, but many probes are dropped before such action.

NHTSA also has upgraded its investigation of the steering wheels on 1994-95 Chevrolet Caprice police cars after receiving complaints that the wheel rim broke in 126 vehicles.

In one case, there was an accident when the rim broke because the police officer was in pursuit of a suspect. The agency report said there was detailed information on 20 cases, and in eight of them the top of the wheel rim broke off completely.