NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Defect Petition DP16-001: Passenger Sensing System Sensor Mat
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP16-001 on May 16, 2016 and closed it on April 24, 2017. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky for it and links recall 17V-061 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- DP16-001 (also written DP16001)
- 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 April 24, 2017
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Component
- Air Bags — Sensor — Occupant Classification
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 17V-061: Front Passenger Air bag may not Deploy, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP16-001.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting the opening of an investigation into the air bag system on model year 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky, the subject vehicles.
The petitioner raised the issue of failure of the Passenger Sensing System for the front passenger seating position.
On January 26, 2017, General Motors filed a defect information report recalling the subject vehicles to address the issue raised by the petition.
In view of the recall, ODI considers the petition moot and is closing the action.
The closing of the petition does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP16-001. 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.
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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for DP16-001
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.