Investigation PE01002: 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix

Status

CLOSED

Opened

Jan 10, 2001

Closed

Jun 11, 2001

Model years

1999

Subject

Driver air bag malfunction

Component: Air bags › Frontal

Summary

Odi is aware of one reported incident of a driver-side air bag inflator separation in a model year 1999 pontiac grand prix.an investigation of the incident revealed that a two-inch, disk-shaped fragment of the aluminum inflator assembly ruptured the air bag, broke off portions of the air gab cover flaps, and struck the driver.also, evidence showed hot combustion gases/particulate escaped into the passenger compartment.the driver sustained numerous injuries from the inflator fragementand hot gases/particulate.a teardown of the failed inflator did not reveal any observable defects or root cause of failure.gm and its suppliers (delphi and bread) are currently working together to determine the root cause of the single reported failure and the scope of the potential problem condition in the field.finally, gm has stated that model year 1998-2000 pontiac grand prix vehicles and model year 1998-2001 pontiac montana vehicles have identical driver-side air bag inflators.the engineering analysis will cover these model/model year vehicles.

An NHTSA investigation looks into whether a safety defect exists. Opening one is not a finding. Outcomes can include a recall, closure without action, or further inquiry.

Model years covered

• 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix412 complaints