mikeyb
03-16-2006, 08:47 AM
Faulty side airbag
GM Holden has issued a safety recall on specific locally built vehicles from April 2003 to December 2005 sold in Australia and export markets and fitted with side impact airbags as standard or optional equipment.
The recall has been issued following reports to GM Holden that side impact airbags had inflated under circumstances which did not warrant inflation. This may be caused by static electricity charge, generated in particular conditions, which stimulates the airbag inflator if an earthing wire under the seat has come loose.
Such conditions can be generated only when the car is stationary and the person is exiting or has exited one of the front seats, as sufficient charge must be generated and the outer side seat bolster compressed to reach the side airbag inflator.
The situation will be rectified free of charge at Holden dealerships by installing an additional earth spring at the front of each height adjustable seat to correctly earth any charge.
The recall involves 89,167 vehicles in Australia and 34,552 export vehicles for a total of 123,719. Thirteen cases have been reported since 2003 with no resultant accidents - an incident rate close to one in 10,000 vehicles or about 0.01 per cent.
GM Holden Executive Director Engineering, Tony Hyde, today said the organisation had confirmed that the inflation would occur only while the car was stationary, allaying concerns about possible accidents.
“Electrostatic charge accumulation usually requires some sort of moving activity which is generated while swinging out of a seat,” Mr Hyde said. This action also brings the occupant closer to the side impact airbags as the backrest side bolster is compressed when getting out of the seat. The bolster will not be sufficiently compressed while driving to allow any charge to reach the inflator.”
Vehicles impacted by the recall comprise those built between 1 April 2003 and 2 December 2005 with side impact airbags as standard or optional equipment. This may include -
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=562 border=0><COLGROUP><COL width=229></COL><COL width=333></COL><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=229>Sedan - VY / VY Series 2 / VZ
</TD><TD width=333>Executive, Equipe, Lumina, Acclaim, S, SV6, SV8, SS, Berlina, Calais, (including HSV variants).
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=229>Wagon - VY / VY Series 2 / VZ
</TD><TD width=333>Executive, Equipe, Lumina, Acclaim, SS, Berlina, Adventra, (including HSV variants)
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=229>Light Commercial VY / VY Series 2
</TD><TD width=333>Crewman, Crewman S, Crewman SS, X6 Crewman, X8 Crewman, (including HSV variants).
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=229>V2 Series 2 / V2 Series 3 / VZ
WK / WL
</TD><TD width=333>Monaro, (including HSV variants).
Statesman, Caprice (including HSV variants)
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
And most likely the American Pontiac GTO as well.
source:http://www.worldcarfans.com/news.cfm/country/acf/newsID/2060314.001/generalmotors/gm-holden-safety-recall-australia
GM Holden has issued a safety recall on specific locally built vehicles from April 2003 to December 2005 sold in Australia and export markets and fitted with side impact airbags as standard or optional equipment.
The recall has been issued following reports to GM Holden that side impact airbags had inflated under circumstances which did not warrant inflation. This may be caused by static electricity charge, generated in particular conditions, which stimulates the airbag inflator if an earthing wire under the seat has come loose.
Such conditions can be generated only when the car is stationary and the person is exiting or has exited one of the front seats, as sufficient charge must be generated and the outer side seat bolster compressed to reach the side airbag inflator.
The situation will be rectified free of charge at Holden dealerships by installing an additional earth spring at the front of each height adjustable seat to correctly earth any charge.
The recall involves 89,167 vehicles in Australia and 34,552 export vehicles for a total of 123,719. Thirteen cases have been reported since 2003 with no resultant accidents - an incident rate close to one in 10,000 vehicles or about 0.01 per cent.
GM Holden Executive Director Engineering, Tony Hyde, today said the organisation had confirmed that the inflation would occur only while the car was stationary, allaying concerns about possible accidents.
“Electrostatic charge accumulation usually requires some sort of moving activity which is generated while swinging out of a seat,” Mr Hyde said. This action also brings the occupant closer to the side impact airbags as the backrest side bolster is compressed when getting out of the seat. The bolster will not be sufficiently compressed while driving to allow any charge to reach the inflator.”
Vehicles impacted by the recall comprise those built between 1 April 2003 and 2 December 2005 with side impact airbags as standard or optional equipment. This may include -
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=562 border=0><COLGROUP><COL width=229></COL><COL width=333></COL><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=229>Sedan - VY / VY Series 2 / VZ
</TD><TD width=333>Executive, Equipe, Lumina, Acclaim, S, SV6, SV8, SS, Berlina, Calais, (including HSV variants).
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=229>Wagon - VY / VY Series 2 / VZ
</TD><TD width=333>Executive, Equipe, Lumina, Acclaim, SS, Berlina, Adventra, (including HSV variants)
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=229>Light Commercial VY / VY Series 2
</TD><TD width=333>Crewman, Crewman S, Crewman SS, X6 Crewman, X8 Crewman, (including HSV variants).
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=229>V2 Series 2 / V2 Series 3 / VZ
WK / WL
</TD><TD width=333>Monaro, (including HSV variants).
Statesman, Caprice (including HSV variants)
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
And most likely the American Pontiac GTO as well.
source:http://www.worldcarfans.com/news.cfm/country/acf/newsID/2060314.001/generalmotors/gm-holden-safety-recall-australia