NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Defect Petition DP03-001: IMPROPER FRONTAL AIR BAG PERFORMANCE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP03-001 on March 26, 2003 and closed it on August 1, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Hyundai Sonata and Sonata GLS for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- DP03-001 (also written DP03001)
- Investigation type
- Defect Petition A petition asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; NHTSA grants or denies it, and granting one opens an investigation.
- Status
- Closed August 1, 2003
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Hyundai Motor America
- Components
- Air Bags; Air Bags — Frontal; Air Bags — Frontal — Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
- Vehicles and equipment
- Hyundai Sonata and Sonata GLS
A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP03-001.
HYUNDAI HAS RECEIVED 49 REPORTS FROM CUSTOMERS STATING THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A CRASH FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.EXAMINATION OF SUPLIMENTAL INFORMATION PROVIDED TO ODI BY THE MANUFACTURER FOR THE REPORTED CASES IT APPEARED THAT THE NECESSARY AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT THRESHOLD WAS NOT MET.THERE HAVE BEEN NO FATAL INCIDENTS OR REPORTS OF SERIOUS INJURY AS A RESULT OF BEING IN A FRONTAL CRASH AND THE AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOYING.IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT NHTSA WOULD ISSUE AN ORDER FOR THE NOTIFICATION REMEDY OF A SAFETY DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AS DEFINED BY THE PETITIONER AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE INVESTIGATION REQUESTED IN THE PETITION.THEREFORE, IN VIEW OF THE NEED TO ALLOCATE AND PRIORITIZE THE NHTSA'S LIMITED RESOURCES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE AGENCY'S SAFETY MISSION, THE PETITION IS DENIED.FOR FURTHER DETAILS, REFER TO ODI?S RESPONSE TO THE PETITIONER PUBLISHED IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER VOL. 68, NO. 148, DATED AUGUST 1, 2003.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP03-001. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Hyundai
Hyundai Sonata
Hyundai Sonata GLS
- 1999
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Hyundai VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for DP03-001
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.