2008 Hummer H3

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HUMMER H3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V421000 (VISIBILITY). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING MODULE FAILED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RIZZA CADILLAC BUICK GMC (LOCATED AT 8425 159TH ST, TINLEY PARK, IL 60487, (708) 429-6600), WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THE DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR SPECIFICS WERE NOT DISCLOSED. THE FAILURES RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN OUR DRIVEWAY IN HIS 2008 HUMMER H3, AND BOTH THE PASSENGER SIDE AND DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. IT SOUNDED LIKE A CANNON WENT OFF IN THE VEHICLE WITH US. OUR EARDRUMS HURT FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. WE CONTACTED OUR INSURANCE COMPANY, WHO REFUSED TO PAY STATING IT WAS A MANUFACTURER ISSUE. WE CONTACTED GM, WHO DID AN INVESTIGATION AND CONCLUDED THAT THE AIRBAGS "FUNCTIONED AS THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO". WHEN WE ASKED HOW THAT COULD BE POSSIBLE, AND WHAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOWED, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE INFORMATION WAS CONFIDENTIAL. THE GENTLEMAN THAT GM SENT TO TAKE PICTURES OF OUR DRIVEWAY FOR THE INVESTIGATION EVEN COMMENTED THAT HE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THEM TO DEPLOY. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYING WHILE TRAVELING DOWN ONE'S DRIVEWAY IN A VEHICLE THAT IS MADE FOR CLIMBING MOUNTAINS AND SUCH, COULD BE CONSIDERED AS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THESE AIRBAGS ARE SUPPOSED TO DEPLOY IN A ROLLOVER EVENT. A SIMPLE ONLINE SEARCH WILL REVEAL THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE TO OTHER PEOPLE. IT'S OBVIOUSLY A DEFECTIVE SENSOR, AND A DANGEROUS ONE AT THAT. IF WE HAD BEEN TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE OR A BUSY ROAD AND THEY HAD DEPLOYED, WE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN KILLED. I DRIVE A SMALL FOUR CYLINDER CAR DOWN OUR DRIVEWAY ON A DAILY BASIS TO GO TO WORK, AND MY AIRBAGS HAVE NEVER GONE OFF ON ME. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY AN OFFICIAL RECALL HASN'T BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS.

TAKATA RECALL. I WAS DRIVING BETWEEN 10-15 MPH ON A SIDE ROAD APPROACHING A STOP SIGN TO GET ONTO THE MAIN HIGHWAY AND THE SIDE AIRBAGS ON BOTH SIDES DEPLOYED ON THEIR OWN. NOTHING HIT THE VEHICLE TO CAUSE THEM TO RELEASE. IT LOCKED UP MY FRONT SEAT BELTS ALSO. I CUT THE AIRBAGS OUT TO BE ABLE TO SEE TO DRIVE HOME, AND WAS ABLE TO PULL THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT AROUND ME ENOUGH TO MAKE IT HOME. I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEN CALLED THE LOCAL HUMMER DEALER TO LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR THEM TO RETURN MY CALL. MY INSURANCE COMPANY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE A DEALER ISSUE, AND NOTHING THEY WOULD COVER, BUT ADVISED ME TO GO TO MY LOCAL INSURANCE AGENT AND TALK WITH THEM ON MONDAY. THIS IS SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2016 AND NEITHER THE INSURANCE COMPANY OR THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE DEALERSHIP IS OPEN UNTIL MONDAY. I AM NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED, BUT BELIEVE THAT THERE IT MAY BE CONNECTED TO FAULTY SENSORS ON THE SIDE AIRBAGS.

WHILE DRIVING ON A GRAVEL ROAD UPWARDS ON A GRAVEL ROAD (NOT A LEGAL STREET) GOING UNDER 10MPH, THE SIDE UPPER AIRBAGS DEPLOYED BY THEMSELVES WITHOUT BEING IN AN ACCIDENT OR ANYTHING BEING STRUCTURALLY DAMAGED. I WAS DAZED, AND MIGHT OF HAD A SLIGHT CONCUSSION. THE PASSENGER WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS, AND HER RIBS AND BACK HURT. I HAVE READ ON MANY FORUMS THAT THIS SIMILAR SITUATION HAS OCCURRED. THERE ARE MORE SITUATIONS BUT PLEASE READ BELOW. THESE VEHICLES ARE MADE TO DO CLIMB 60 DEGREE ANGLES, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THERE ARE SO MANY INSISTENCE THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED. THIS IS NOT SAFE AT ALL!! BELOW ARE JUST A FEW I FOUND ON THE INTERNET. HTTP://M.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/HUMMER/H3/2008/SEAT_BELTS_AIR_BAGS/AIR_BAGS-SIDE_WINDOW.SHTML HTTP://WWW.HUMMER4X4OFFROAD.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?6114-AIR-BAG-DEPLOYMENT-PROBLEM HTTP://M.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/HUMMER/H3/2006/SEAT_BELTS_AIR_BAGS/AIR_BAGS.SHTML HTTP://WWW.CLUBHUMMEROFFROAD.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/5444-SIDE-CURTAIN-AIRBAG-DEPLOYMENT HTTP://WWW.HUMMERFORUMS.COM/FORUM/HUMMER-H3-17/SCOND-TIME-MY-SIDE-AIRBAGS-HAVE-GONE-OFF-ROAD-25504/ HTTP://WWW.HUMMERXCLUB.COM/FORUM/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=25&T=8443

WE PRACTICED WINCHING TECHNIQUES WITH SNO CTY SEARCH AND RESCUE. MY VEHICLE WAS BEING WINCHED UP A HILL. WHEN WE FINISHED OUR PRACTICE, I NOTICE THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH WAS ILLUMINATED. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A GM DEALERSHIP WHO SOLD HUMMERS AND HAD THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED. THEY STATED THAT THE ROLLOVER SENSOR HAD INDICATED DEPLOYMENT. THE VEHICLE DID NOT ROLL, NOR DID THE SRS SYSTEM DEPLOY. THEY RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF THE ROLLOVER SENSOR. I HAD THEM FULLY TEST THE SYSTEM TO BE CERTAIN THAT THE $500.00 PART WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I HAD THEM REPLACE THE SENSOR WITH GM APPROVED PARTS BOUGHT FROM THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL FAULT WITH THE SENSOR - BUT HAD NO WAY OF TESTING THE CIRCUITS; NOR THE WILLINGNESS TO TRY A PART HE FIXED BECAUSE IT COULD DEPLOY THE SYSTEM. THE LIGHT IS ON AGAIN (THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED JUNE 11, 2013). I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY PULLED THE ENTIRE DASH APART AND TESTED ALL THE CIRCUITS. THEY DID NOT FIND A DEFINITE CAUSE. THEY RECOMMENDED THAT WE USE DIELECTRIC GREASE ON THE CONNECTIONS. THEY INDICATED THAT IF THAT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM, THE NEXT "REPAIR" WOULD BE REPLACE THE AIRBAG ITSELF (ROUGHLY $800.00). THIS IS WHERE I AM AT TODAY - THE LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED AGAIN; GM HAS BASICALLY WASHED THEIR HANDS OF THE VEHICLE (THERE IS NO WARRANTY SO ALL OF THIS IS COMING OUT OF MY POCKET); AND THEY WANT TO "TRY" TO REPLACE THE AIRBAG. I'M NOW CONCERNED THAT THE ROLLOVER SENSOR WAS NOT AT FAULT; RATHER, THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE SRS SYSTEM. I THINK THE DEALERSHIP HAS DONE THE BEST THEY CAN - BUT WITHOUT GM'S PARTICIPATION IN THE SOLUTION; I THINK I WILL BE CONTINUALLY THROWING PARTS AND STILL NOT FINDING THE PROBLEM. GM CAN TEST THESE PARTS; THEY HAVE THE SCHEMATICS; CHARTS; AND IP TO ALLOW THEM TO FIND THE ISSUE. *TR