defective Takata air bag | MotorSafety.org

Washington, D.C. – April 19, 2021 – The U.S. government’s highway safety regulator is investigating General Motors (NYSE:GM) over reports of an airbag malfunction. The investigation cites 15 complaints and covers the following vehicles:

2020 – 2021 Cadillac CT4
2020 – 2021 Cadillac CT5
2020 – 2021 Cadillac Escalade
2020 – 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2020 – 2021 Cadillac XT5
2020 – 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2020 – 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
2020 – 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
2020-2021 Chevrolet Suburban
2020 – 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2020 – 2021 GMC Sierra 1500
2020 – 2021 GMC Sierra 2500
2020 – 2021 GMC Sierra 3500
2020 – 2021 GMC Yukon
2020 – 2021 GMC Yukon XL
2020 GMC Sierra Denali
2021 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 4500HD
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 5500HD
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 6500HD

Complaints

Of the 15 complaints, consumers submitted to the regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), six mention serious crashes where the airbags failed to deploy, while eight highlight injuries that occurred in connection with the problem.

One complaint from Dayton, Ohio graphically describes the consequences when one driver’s airbag failed to deploy in an accident, resulting in a serious head injury. During the accident, “something hit [the driver’s] face while the “steering wheel airbag” failed to deploy. The driver remembers crawling out of their overturned Cadillac Escalade and being taken to the hospital. Upon being discharged, the person experienced “loss of taste and smell” except for the “smell of brain matter” from “fluid” dripping down their nasal cavity.

Other complaints describe the airbags failing to deploy despite the driver hitting several trees.

Cause of the problem

The administration’s investigation points to a bulletin GM posted for dealers and repair shops in March, addressing problems with the airbag warning light. The bulletin blames the problem on “rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver airbag inflator.”

However, according to a statement obtained by the Associated Press (AP), GM said it was unaware of any airbags failing to deploy due to this problem, adding that its own analysis of the issue found that airbags would still deploy in a crash even if the malfunction light was on.

Warning signs

Some of the complaints describe the airbag and “service safety restraint system” warning lights coming on as often as “every two to three minutes when driving.”

Other GM airbag recalls

GM has recently recalled close to 6 million cars because of potentially lethal Takata airbags that may rupture when deployed. Separately, in April NHTSA launched another investigation after multiple car manufacturers – including GM – recalled airbags that were improperly folded during the installation process and could fail to deploy. The airbags were manufactured by Joyson, a successor of Takata.

It is not clear who produced the GM airbags at the center of the current investigation.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 749,000 vehicles could be recalled as a result of NHTSA’s investigation. To do a GM recall check, bookmark MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool and come back to the site when more details become available.

The defect

BMW states that these specific units may have received replacement airbags as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI inflator can absorb moisture, causing the airbag to rupture or underinflate.

All listed vehicles may have had these devices installed during repairs. In the event of a crash, a rupture of the inflator can result in dangerous metal fragments hitting drivers and passengers, while an underinflated airbag can fail to shield the occupants properly.

These issues increase the risk of severe injury or death. BMW has not provided any guidance on how to ascertain if a vehicle possesses the defective NADI inflators.

Owners should exercise caution; a solution is not yet available at this time, and BMW recommends that owners should not utilize their vehicles until safe removal processes are available.

Timeline of events

On November 26, 2019, manufacturer Takata (TK Global LLC) disclosed that some of their NADI inflators produced from 1995 – 2000 were defective and issued a recall for all known extant units and vehicles that may contain said units.

Later that day, BMW issued a recall for several different classes of vehicle, gradually adding more to the list by the end of the day. BMW North America is currently the only automobile manufacturer to have issued a recall relating to these defective Takata NADI inflators.

Recommending that owners do not currently drive their vehicles, BMW is sending interim notices about the risk to owners until January 17, and again when the remedy becomes available.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 74,000 cars were originally part of this recall. As of April 30, 2021, only 4,162 airbags had been replaced. To see if your car still needs to be serviced, please use MotorSafety’s free lookup tool.

We have noticed a large number of readers are interested in this recall. For that reason, we have updated the article to reflect the latest editorial standards; provided the most-up-to-date information in the “Solution” section and added the last section where drivers can check if their vehicle is part of this recall. To the best of our knowledge, the cars in this recall are not on the “Do not drive” list. However, out of the abundance of caution, we are keeping the original author’s recommendation NOT to drive these vehicles before they are repaired. Please contact support@motorsaf e ty.org with any questions.

General Motors under investigation for airbag failures

Complaints

Cause of the problem

Warning signs

Other GM airbag recalls

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

BMW recalls 1999-2001 vehicles with deadly Takata airbags

The defect

Timeline of events

The solution

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

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