Suzuki recalling 200K crossovers over airbag woes

Mon, 16 Sep 2013

Suzuki may not be selling any new cars in the US anymore, but there are still plenty of them on American roads. Nearly 200,000 of those will need to be taken off said roads – for a little while, at least.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall for 2006-2011 Suzuki Grand Vitara SUVs and 2007-2011 SX4 crossovers due to a faulty airbag sensor. The issue apparently results from the front passenger-side floor mat causing the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor to malfunction over time, so whether there's a kid or an adult in the front seat, the airbag could deploy in the event of a crash.

As a result, Suzuki Motor of America is calling in 193,936 vehicles to replace the front passenger-seat cushion assembly. That's a whole lot of cars to recall, but it comes as no big surprise. Owners can expect to be notified in October. Full details in the recall announcement below.

RECALL Subject : Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor mat
Report Receipt Date: SEP 06, 2013
NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V405000
Component(s): AIR BAGS
Potential Number of Units Affected: 193,936

Manufacturer: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

SUMMARY:
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Grand Vitara and 2007-2011 SX4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, over time, the OCS sensor mat installed in the front passenger seat may fail due to repeated flexing of the mat from use of the seat. As a result, during a crash necessitating deployment, the air bag will deploy regardless of whether the front seat occupant is an adult or a child.

CONSEQUENCE:
Air bag deployment with a child in the front passenger side seat increases the risk of injury to that child.

REMEDY:
Suzuki will notify owners and dealers will replace the front passenger seat cushion assembly (which includes the OCS sensor mat) free of charge. Sufficient quantities of parts are not currently available to fix all of the affected vehicles. Owners will be notified of the recall in October 2013 and will receive a second notification when parts are available to have their vehicle repaired. Owners may contact Suzuki at 1-800-255-2550. Suzuki's recall campaign number is VD.

NOTES:
Note: Vehicles which previously had a countermeasure occupant classification system (OCS) sensor mat installed under the special coverage campaign conducted by Suzuki distributors in the United States are not affected by this recall. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

By Noah Joseph