September 25, 2006
During our investigation, we examined more than 160 complaints from consumers about their airbags failing to deploy in serious accidents. Those complaints involved the airbags in vehicles made by eight different automakers. We contacted each of those car makers and asked them to respond to the following questions.
Janis Little, director of product and brand communications for Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., responded for the company.
1). What's your message to consumers who have safety concerns with the airbags in one of your vehicles?
Little: We actively promote our vehicles as meeting all federal safety standards and encourage all owners to properly position all occupants, use the correct child safety seats, and buckle all occupants according to federal and state guidelines.
2). What should consumers do if their airbags fail to deploy during an accident in one of your vehicles?
Little: Our customer relations department handles any calls from our owners. The call center representatives follow a script to ask and answer questions and enter all the script into the customer's files. They provide them the following information about airbags:
• The Airbag Supplemental Restraint System is designed to be activated only in certain moderate-to-severe frontal and near-frontal collisions.
• Approximately 90% of all automobile accidents are either low speed frontal collisions, rollovers, or involve impacts to the side or rear of the vehicle in which case the airbags are not intended to be deployed;
• The Air bag Supplemental Restraint System in all Mitsubishi vehicles includes a diagnostic function that constantly checks the readiness and proper functioning of the airbag system whenever the ignition key is in the ON position. If the diagnostic system detects any malfunction in the airbag system, a warning light located on the instrument panel is turned ON to warn the driver of a problem with the system that needs immediate repairs at a Mitsubishi dealer.
3). Does your company send someone out to investigate an accident if an airbag fails to deploy in one of your vehicles?
Little: Once the Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) Customer Relations department is informed of the consumer's concerns regarding the non-deployment of the airbags in an accident, it will initiate a process to investigate the cause of the non-deployment. The process may involve a variety of investigative avenues that are highly dependent upon the circumstances of the particular situation and could possibly include a physical inspection of the vehicle and/or a review of the Traffic Collision Report prepared by the appropriate traffic authorities and/or detailed photographs and measurements of the damaged vehicle. A summary of the conclusions of MMNA's investigation regarding the airbag non-deployment is generally conveyed to the consumer.
4). Has your company recalled any vehicles because of problems with the airbags failing to deploy in an accident? If so, which vehicles -- year, make, model?
Little: Mitsubishi Motors North America has not had to recall any of our vehicles since 1999 for a faulty airbag system that could possibly lead to non-deployment of the airbags in an accident where deployment was warranted.
