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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA97-010: OVERSENSITIVE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA97-010 on April 30, 1997, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE96-075, whose summary cites it, and closed it on December 23, 1998. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Subaru Impreza and Legacy for it and links recall 98V-315 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
EA97-010 (also written EA97010)
Investigation type
Engineering Analysis A more detailed stage of a defect investigation, opened when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation decides an issue merits further review, often after a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query; it can include vehicle testing, surveys and further information requests.
Status
Closed December 23, 1998
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
Component
Air Bags
Recall linked by NHTSA
  • 98V-315: SUBARU/TOW HOOKS, reported
Vehicles and equipment
Subaru Impreza and Legacy

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA97-010.

IN ITS LETTER DATED DECEMBER 21, 1998, SUBARU STATED THAT THE VEHICLES IDENTIFIED ABOVE WILL BE RECALLED.SUBARU DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE FRONT TOWING/TIE-DOWN HOOKS.REFER TO NHTSA RECALL NO. 98V-315 FOR DETAILS.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA97-010. 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.

Subaru

All Subaru 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.

Subaru VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for EA97-010

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.