***WARNING AIRBAG GLITCH***

[SX4toKizashi]

Pics or it didn't happen

[shaq]

[quote="rabby"]I purchased a Kizashi 2010 SLS...loaded, beautiful car...Had it six weeks. Had a very minor accident; I became distracted and my foot came off the brake and I struck a curb/wall at approximatey 5-10 mph..EVERY airbag in the car exploded, with the exception of the passenger side...The front, side curtains, back seat bolsters, etc. It was a very traumatizing experience. We even had the police come to take a report because we couldnt' believe it. Neither did the police. They said they've never seen that happen...Damage to the car consisted of a scratched front bumper/cover. Not ONE dent in the body. Long story short, insurance TOTALLED the car! Cost to repair was $22k!!! Each airbag was over $2k to repair, plus the entire interior was ruined; seats needed to be replaced because they were ripped open. We were devastated. Even more devastating was the reaction from Suzuki. We called three times. They took an "incident" report. Said that it was a matter for our insurance company, etc. I could not believe they were not interested since it is a new model and possibly warrants a recall. After a third call, we gave up. Fortunately, we recd a great settlement from insurance..We would never buy a Suzuki product again because of the their response (or lack of one). We are now the owners of a beautiful, FAST, 2010 red Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T...It has everything the Kizashi had and More! Most importantly, a company that cares about their customers.[/quote



pls justify your post w/ pictures please,otherwise i dont believe you...show your new car as well! goodluck!

[darrylh]

1 Week to go before my XLS arrives.
Should I wear a face-mask so I don't inhale airbag powder?

[volunteer]

I purchased a Kizashi 2010 SLS...loaded, beautiful car...Had it six weeks. Had a very minor accident; I became distracted and my foot came off the brake and I struck a curb/wall at approximatey 5-10 mph..EVERY airbag in the car exploded, with the exception of the passenger side...The front, side curtains, back seat bolsters, etc. It was a very traumatizing experience. We even had the police come to take a report because we couldnt' believe it. Neither did the police. They said they've never seen that happen...Damage to the car consisted of a scratched front bumper/cover. Not ONE dent in the body. Long story short, insurance TOTALLED the car! Cost to repair was $22k!!! Each airbag was over $2k to repair, plus the entire interior was ruined; seats needed to be replaced because they were ripped open. We were devastated. Even more devastating was the reaction from Suzuki. We called three times. They took an "incident" report. Said that it was a matter for our insurance company, etc. I could not believe they were not interested since it is a new model and possibly warrants a recall. After a third call, we gave up. Fortunately, we recd a great settlement from insurance..We would never buy a Suzuki product again because of the their response (or lack of one). We are now the owners of a beautiful, FAST, 2010 red Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T...It has everything the Kizashi had and More! Most importantly, a company that cares about their customers.

Before you bad mouth Suzuki, you should do some research on how airbag systems work. Speed is just one factor and not the most important. There are impact sensor in the front and side, but angle of impact also comes into play. There are also accelerometers in various locations around the car (nowhere near typical impact zones) that measure directional changes in the vehicle (again, don't read accelerometer to mean speed...thing g-load). It's not uncommon to hit just a small roadside curb that may only scuff a rim and have airbags deploy due to the rapid change of directional momentum of the vehicle.

No offense, but your story does sound like some key facts might be missing. There is no way my car (or any of the 15 cars I've owned over the years) will hit 5-10 mph if I just let my foot slip off the brake. That may be what you told the cops and insurance company, but I would be willing to bet that situation could never be replicated. Most people that total their cars without any "assistance" tend to bend the truth a little and blame the car.

[uforaverwill]

Rabby: You should post pics to back up your story. Anyone can go on forums and make up something up. Until we see pics of the airbags deployed from your Kizashi, your story can be one fat lie.

[speedsterz]

Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:00 pm
Repost:

My car is sitting at my dealer's serivce department at this very moment regarding the passenger airbag sensor that turns off everytime I have someone in the passenger seat. There may definitely be something up with the airbags.

I will keep updated....

[Hawkzilla]

Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:00 pm
Repost:

My car is sitting at my dealer's serivce department at this very moment regarding the passenger airbag sensor that turns off everytime I have someone in the passenger seat. There may definitely be something up with the airbags.

I will keep updated....

Mine does the same thing... if the passenger (my gf) is too light, this sometimes happens. This is where it pays off to read your manual when you buy a new car, as it clearly addresses this issue. If she is sitting with her weight shifted to the side, as she often does, the passenger airbag will turn off. It does this as to not injure a small child/infant that might be sitting there (if you're a bad parent).

[Bob225]

Interesting. I just hit a utility pole in my 2011 SLS and speed was around 15 mph. Hit front bumper and it peeled away the right fender. All airbags deployed but passenger seat. They did there job but I was surprised the side bags went off. Adjuster comes tomorrow. I was able to drive home since I was close. I was surprised how they messed up seats and headliner. The back doors are now out of alignment and most likely due to the bags deploying. If they totaled a 2010 that was new, then I am sure they will total mine with the higher mileage.

[murcod]

I've heard (ie. it may not be true) that vehicles in the USA have their airbag systems calibrated differently to cater for a not insignificant number of the population who won't wear seat belts. The bags are supposed to deploy faster and at lower speeds. I don't know if it's related at all to the above posts?

[KizStar]

So.... who has had their bumper off to change the lights and knows where they are? I think we have had two or three people on the forum do it. Did any of you guys see where the sensors are?

I just had my bumper off today. One of the airbag sensors is located on the passenger side, attached to the steel bumper. I didn't see another one on the driver side, however.