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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Defect Petition DP96-014: DEFECTIVE AIR BAG CRASH SENSOR

  • No closing date on file

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP96-014 on November 14, 1996; NHTSA's investigations file gives no closing date for it. NHTSA's investigations file lists 6 models from 5 makes for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
DP96-014 (also written DP96014)
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
Opened November 14, 1996; no closing date on file
Opened
Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC); General Motors, LLC; Ford Motor Company
Component
Air Bags — Frontal — Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
Vehicles and equipment
6 models from 5 makes, including the Chrysler Town And Country and Dodge Caravan

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP96-014.

CFAS SENT A FOLLOW-UP LETTER ON DECEMBER 12, 1996, TO CHANGE THE INTENT OF THE PETITION TO AIRBAG AGGRESSIVITY AND DEPLOYMENT VARIABILITY.NHTSA RECEIVED THE LETTER ON 12/12/96; ACCORDINGLY, THE PETITION DUE DAY WAS CHANGED TO APRIL 12, 1997.

CFAS PETITIONED THE AGENCY TO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE AIRBAG CRASH SENSOR AND/OR DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS FOR THE 1991-92 CHEVROLET CORSICA/BERETTA, 1990-92 FORD TAURUS, AND 1994-96 CHRYSLER MINIVANS ARE DEFECTIVE.CFAS ALLEGE THAT INFORMATION ON LOW SPEED CRASHES HERE OCCUPANTS HAVE SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES SUGGESTS [THAT THE ABOVE VEHICLES] HAVE DEFECTIVE AIRBAG CRASH SENSOR AND/OR DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP96-014. 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.

Chevrolet

All Chevrolet recalls

Chrysler

All Chrysler recalls

Dodge

All Dodge recalls

Ford

All Ford recalls

Plymouth

All Plymouth recalls

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 DP96-014

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.