NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Equipment Query EQ21-001: Joyson Passenger Side Air Bag Cushion
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Equipment Query EQ21-001 on April 7, 2021 and closed it on December 1, 2021. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Joyson Safety Systems Passenger Air BAG for it and links recall 21V-139 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EQ21-001 (also written EQ21001)
- Investigation type
- Equipment Query An administrative investigation that reviews recall reports to confirm that the equipment suppliers and vehicle manufacturers involved in an equipment recall have filed the recall reports required of them.
- Status
- Closed December 1, 2021
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Key Safety Systems, Inc. - (DBA Joyson)
- Component
- Air Bags — Passenger Side Frontal — Cushion
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 21V-139: Front Passenger Air Bag Cushion May Tear, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Joyson Safety Systems Passenger Air BAG
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Equipment Query EQ21-001.
In a Part 573 Report dated July 14, 2019, Mercedes Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in certain 2020 GLE350 4Matic and GLE450 4Matic vehicles. This filing was assigned Recall No. 19V-458. MBUSA stated that these vehicles may have received Joyson Safety Systems (Joyson) passenger air bag assemblies that may cause a delayed or incomplete deployment of the air bag during a crash. On August 28, 2019, Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in certain 2003-2008 Corolla, 2005-2008 Corolla Matrix, and 2005-2008 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. This filing was assigned Recall No. 19V-627. Toyota stated that these vehicles may have received replacement Joyson Safety Systems (Joyson) air bag assemblies under a previous recall, and the replacement air bags may not unfold as designed during a crash.
On January 23, 2020, General Motors, LLC (GM) notified NHTSA of a defect in certain 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The GM filing was assigned Recall No. 20V-039.
On March 4, 2021, Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified NHTSA of a defect in certain 2006-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 vehicles.
Nissan's filing was assigned Recall No. 21V-139.
In both GM's and Nissan's recalls, affected vehicles were repaired under previous recalls, and the replacement air bags may not unfold as designed during a crash.
The purpose of this EQ was to write to Joyson and other companies that might have purchased this equipment from Joyson, notify them of this defect in any vehicles they manufactured, and to ensure thorough safety recalls are conducted where appropriate.
On April 8, 2021, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) notified Joyson of the EQ and issued an Information Request (IR) letter to Joyson. Responses from Joyson, dated between April 19, 2021 to July 21, 2021, are summarized as follows:Related to MBUSA 19V-458, MBUSA inadvertently installed 11 prototype airbag modules into vehicles for the stream of commerce. JSS has no knowledge of any other vehicles being affected other than those identified by Mercedes Benz. Joyson noted that it will not file a Part 573 Recall Report. Related to Toyota 19V-627 and GM 20V-039, Joyson noted the airbags were sold to Toyota, which utilized them on a single vehicle platform, sold as both the Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe.
In addition, the reason for GM's recall was due to certain GM dealerships installing the incorrect version of the replacement airbag. Joyson stated they have no reason to believe that any other manufacturer is affected by the circumstances underlaying Recall 20V-039. Joyson also stated no other vehicles utilized the subject airbags. Furthermore, Joyson has not identified any assemblies built in the same facility with angle variations that underwent the same development testing as described in Toyota's Part 573 Recall Report. Joyson noted that it will not file a Part 573 Recall Report. Related to Nissan 21V-139, Joyson stated The combination of components that comprise the airbag modules which are the subject of Recall 21V-139 was supplied only to Nissan for the FX-35 and FX-45 vehicles. Joyson noted that it will not file a Part 573 Recall Report. NHTSA has reviewed the responses from Joyson and has concluded that no additional safety recalls from other manufacturers are required at this time. Accordingly, this Equipment Query is now closed. However, RMD will continue to monitor reports and other data for like conditions and may re-open this query or initiate a new query, as appropriate.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Equipment Query EQ21-001. 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.
Joyson Safety Systems
Joyson Safety Systems Passenger Air BAG
- model year not given
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 EQ21-001
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.