Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation Directorate
Information: 1-800-333-0371 |
TP14665E
Vehicle Safety Advisory
V 2007-02 E
October 2007 |
Older General Motors Pontiac Grand Am Air Bag Safety
Transport Canada advises the owners of older Pontiac Grand Am vehicles that
certain conditions can cause a malfunction in the vehicle air bag computer,
resulting in the sudden deployment of either the driver’s, passenger’s or both
frontal air bags. A sudden deployment of an air bag, without a crash, may cause
injury or a loss of vehicle control.
In a number of occurrences, when substantial amounts of water have entered
the vehicle, damage to the air bag computer located on the vehicle floor pan has
resulted. Typically the red air bag warning light will come “ON”, indicating
that a system fault is present.
In 2003, General Motors of Canada issued a Notice of Defect meeting the
requirements of section 10 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, informing owners of
the concern at that time. It appears that a number of current owners are not
aware of the concern and water has entered the vehicle damaging the air bag
computer and potentially other vehicle components.
Should you be the owner of a 1996 – 1997 Pontiac Grand Am, it is recommended
that you have the interior vehicle floor examined for the presence of water and
have the air bag computer examined for signs of corrosion. Also, if you notice
or have noticed that the air bag warning light stays “ON”, you should NOT drive
the vehicle. Have the vehicle towed to a repair facility for inspection.
It is important for vehicle users to recognize that as vehicles age in our
Canadian environment, corrosion takes place and can influence vehicle operation
and safety.
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This is an example of a corroded air
bag computer. In the interest of safety, air bag computers should
only be inspected and repaired by an automotive technician. |
A copy of this consumer advisory by Transport Canada on October,16 2007 and
further information concerning Defect Investigations and Recalls can be found on
Transport Canada’s website at:
www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/
Media requiring more information:
Jessie Chauhan
Transport Canada
(613) 993-0055
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