1999 Pontiac Firebird Base Coupe 2-door 3.8l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Distracted driver crosses center line and hits police car

Attentive driving and quick reflexes saved the life of a police officer in Hudson, WI, when an oncoming driver drifted into the officer's lane and struck his cruiser. According to KMSP, the officer was patrolling along a busy road through Hudson on March 31 when the crash occurred. Dash cam video from the patrol car which was released to local media shows the dramatic collision unfold. As the officer came around a mild left-hand curve, a white, 90s-era Pontiac Grand Am continued straight through the curve, across the center line, and directly into the officer's path. The officer was able to avoid a head-on collision, but the Pontiac still struck the driver's side of the patrol car. "Both the officer and the other driver are ok, however, this accident could have been much, much worse," said a Hudson Police Department official on the department's Facebook page. "So please remember to pay attention to your driving at all times when behind the wheel." Minnesota's Department of Public Safety estimates that one in every four crashes in the State of Minnesota are caused by distracted drivers. DPS believes that the actual number may be higher, but police often have difficulty proving distracted driving as the cause of a crash. Government/Legal Pontiac Driving Safety Coupe Police/Emergency

2008-2009 Pontiac G8 recalled over airbag concern

General Motors is recalling around 38,000 Pontiac G8 sedans from its 2008 and 2009 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the cars may have a passenger-side airbag flaw that might prevent proper deployment in certain scenarios.
According to NHTSA, the airbag might not adequately protect a fifth percentile woman - that is, a woman around four-foot, 11-inches weighing 108 pounds. The New York Times indicates that the anomaly was found during a crash test conducted by GM's Australian branch, Holden, which was testing the G8's twin (read: Commodore) for head injuries. According to that report, the test in question is specifically tailored to simulate injuries to females, so the results do not apply to men or children.
The issue has been blamed on a seat position sensor that governs airbag deployment rates. NHTSA indicates that when the front passenger seat is moved all the way forward, the faulty sensor may inappropriately trigger a 30-millisecond delay between airbag stages, potentially leading to greater injuries.

Toyota urges owners of old Corolla, Matrix and RAV4 models to park them until airbags are replaced

DETROIT — Toyota and General Motors are telling the owners of about 61,000 older Corolla, RAV4, Matrix/ Pontiac Vibe models to stop driving them because their Takata airbag inflators are at risk of exploding and hurling shrapnel. The urgent warning Monday covers: Certain Corolla compact cars and Matrix hatchbacks from the 2003 and 2004 model years. RAV4 small SUVs from 2004 and 2005. Also covered are about 11,000 Pontiac Vibes from 2003 and 2004, which are essentially the same as the Matrix and were made at the same California factory. Most of the vehicles are in the U.S. “If the airbag deploys, a part inside is more likely to explode and shoot sharp metal fragments, which could cause serious injury or death to the driver or passengers,” Toyota said in a statement. Owners can go to nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if their cars are affected. If you're not the original owner of the vehicle, the manufacturer's recall letter might not reach you, so be sure to do the VIN check. The recalled RAV4s have Takata driver's airbags while the Corolla and Matrix models have them on the passenger side. The Corolla and Matrix also are under a separate recall because their airbags can be deployed without a crash, the company said. Both companies said owners should contact a local dealer instead of driving the cars in for repairs. Dealers will provide options such as mobile repair, towing the car to a dealer, or vehicle pickup and delivery. Takata used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags in a crash. But the chemical propellant can deteriorate over time when exposed to high temperatures and humidity. It can explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and spewing shrapnel. At least 26 people have been killed in the U.S. by Takata inflators since May 2009, and at least 30 have died worldwide including people in Malaysia and Australia. In addition, about 400 people have been injured. The exploding airbags sent Takata of Japan into bankruptcy. The potential for a dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history. About 100 million inflators were recalled worldwide. Recalls Pontiac Toyota Takata airbag recall