Nissan is recalling 46 model year 2002 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4 vehicles manufactured from August 24, 2001 through August 28, 2001. The air bag inflator contains propellant wafers that are required to properly deploy the front passenger air bag. Due to improper propellant wafer installation during the air bag inflator assembly process, some air bag inflators may be missing one of the wafers. As a result, the remaining wafers in the inflator used for the deployment of the front passenger air bag may, over time, break up into powder due to normal vibration experienced while driving. This causes the combustion rate of the propellant to increase inside the inflator, which can lead to internal pressure rising suddenly during air bag deployment. The inflator housing may rupture, causing an irregular deployment and some possibility of producing loose metal fragments, increasing a risk of injury to the front passenger. 10V-312.

Apparently, the quality control programs in place at the air bag supplier were not good enough to catch these defects during the air bag inflator manufacturing process.

Subaru is recalling 73,698 model year 2010 Subaru Outback and Subaru Legacy passenger vehicles manufactured from February 16, 2009 through April 12, 2010. The wiring in the steering column electrical roll connector located behind the vehicle’s steering wheel may develop stress cracks and eventually break. If this were to happen, certain electrical components may not operate as intended. Possible circuits affected are the driver’s frontal airbag, paddle shifter function, cruise control, horn control and radio functions, increasing the risk of a crash.

One interesting aspect of this air bag safety recall is that Subaru first received notification about this problem back on October 1, 2009, about 9 months before announcing this recall.  Apparently, internal grease within the steering wheel roll connector (sometimes called a clockspring) can chemically degrade the internal flat ribbon which is used to carry electrical current to several steering wheel-mounted devices, including the driver air bag.

The safety recall is expected to begin on or before July 1, 2010. 10V-283. Subaru has internally designated this recall with the number WVR-28.