NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Service Query SQ97-017: INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Service Query SQ97-017 on July 2, 1997 and closed it on February 24, 1998. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 Cadillac models for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- SQ97-017 (also written SQ97017)
- Investigation type
- Service Query
- Status
- Closed February 24, 1998
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Component
- Air Bags
- Vehicles and equipment
- 3 Cadillac models, including the Deville and Eldorado
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 Service Query SQ97-017.
IF A 1995 CADILLAC INTERIOR IS EXPOSED TO SIGNIFICANT WATER INTRUSION, SUCH AS FROM WATER LEAKS, A WINDOW LEFT OPEN IN THE RAIN, OR DRIVING THROUGH HIGH WATER UP TO THE CARPET LEVEL, THE SUPPLEMENTAL INFLATABLE RESTRAINT (SIR) SYSTEM SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE (SDM) CAN BE DAMAGED.IF THIS OCCURS, BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAGS CAN DEPLOY WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCH IS TURNED ON, EVEN IF THERE HAS BEEN NO FRONTAL IMPACT OR CRASH.AS A RESULT OF THESE DEPLOYMENTS, GM CONDUCTED AN ADVISORY LETTER CAMPAIGN, NUMBER 51-01-08 ENTITLED INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS WHEN INTERIOR EXPOSED TO WET CONDITIONS, IN FEBRUARY 1996.
LETTERS TO OWNERS MAILED PURSUANT TO THIS COMPAIGN WARNED OWNERS TO NOT START THEIR ENGINES IF THE VEHICLE INTERIOR HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF WATER.ODI HAS RECEIVED A TOTAL 8 REPORTS OF INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN 1995 CADILLAC VEHICLES.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Service Query SQ97-017. 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.
Cadillac
All Cadillac recallsWhat 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.
Cadillac VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for SQ97-017
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.