Subaru Impreza faces investigation over disabled airbags

The Nhtsa has started an investigation into reports of air-bag issues using the 2012 Subaru Impreza.
The bureau has obtained at least 26 reports of issues using the occupant detection program, which decides if a grown-up or kid is sitting in the front-passenger seat. The complaints allege the system did not work correctly, occasionally disabling the air bag when the seat was inhabited by means of an adult."In a frontal crash adequate to guarantee deployment, a suppressed air-bag may raise the risk of harm to the resident of the seat," the NHTSA records note. Subaru in 2012 issued a technical service bulletin associated with the occupant detection program, addressing an obvious problem including handicapped airbags but without managing it as a security problem. One charge asserts the problem only happens when the passenger is sweaty or sporting a wet swimsuit or ski trousers, although some maintain it happens when somebody is leaning in the seat or just at freeway speeds. A minumum of one report alleges total failure to empower the air bag whenever any passenger is sitting in the front seat. The 2012 Impreza utilizes an electro static capacitance detector to classify the passenger, rathe than straight weighing the resident. Wet is apparently an inherent problem with such detectors, and many criticisms indicate electronics on the seat could cause issues."When water or any such thing with high water content is spilled on the front-passenger seat-cushion, the air-bag was made to keep OFF before the seat-cushion is dry," a Subaru seller describes on its web site. "This will also be the situation in the event the passenger has wet on their clothes, including rain-soaked trousers or rain equipment. In all the scenarios, the air-bag position might stay AWAY even if your passenger is seated."The NHTSA will probably spend several months evaluating the extent of the possible issue before making a decision if your recall is justified.

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14.04.2015
ID:1737

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