General Motors recalled more than 12,000 model year 2009 Cadillac CTS cars for a safety defect in its advanced airbag system. A defect in the software of the Passenger Sensing System can turn off the passenger airbag even though a passenger is sitting in the seat. This defect, which occurs when the Passenger Sensing System tries to initialize, causes these vehicles to fail to comply with FMVSS 208, the government’s safety standard for occupant crash protection.
Internally, GM first became aware of the problem in July of 2008, and later found four cars with this same defect in their own test fleet. In November 2008, General Motors notified the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it was conducting the recall. The government assigned recall number 08V-582 to this safety defect.
Are only the Cadillac 2009 models affected by this recall? I recently purchased a 2007 Cadillac CTS and I was involved in an accident. I was traveling down the [road] on my way home, and my vehicle was struck by a car traveling at a high rate of speed that ran a stop sign. My car spun twice, went over the curb and down into a grassy field off of the feeder road. NONE of my airbags deployed! There was significant damage to both of the passenger doors and it is currently still at the Cadillac dealer’s body shop after a week. Please let me know.
This particular air bag recall applied only to the 2009 model year of the Cadillac CTS, and only to about 12,662 cars built between April and October of 2008. Internally at GM, this Cadillac CTS is known as the D car. The recall stemmed from a software problem, and the fix was to reprogram the modules. As of 12/31/08, less than half of the recalled cars had been inspected and repaired.
However, there have been numerous instances where car companies have inappropriately limited the scope of a recall. Later, it can turn out that more vehicles were affected by a particular problem than were actually recalled. Usually it takes an expert to identify those kinds of issues.
Certain 2007 Cadillac CTS cars were affected by two other recalls, neither of which dealt with the air bags. The first recall dealt with a sunroof that can operate after the ignition key is off and the doors have been opened, in violation of Safety Standard 118. The second recall was due to a rear axle pinion leak that can cause the rear differential to lock up. This could in turn cause the rear wheels to lock up. Of course, this can cause a loss of control and lead to a crash.
If you would like to discuss the performance of your airbags in your specific accident, please do not hesitate to call us for a free consultation on our toll-free number, 1-888-834-5297. Thanks.
I RECENTLY GOT IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN A 2007 CTS. I WAS REAR ENDED AND MY CAR SPUN OUT THEN I WAS HIT BY A RV ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. SHOULD THE AIRBAGS HAVE DEPLOYED BECAUSE THE DID NOT..??
The short answer is: “it depends”. That specific vehicle, the 2007 Cadillac CTS, should have been equipped with side impact air bags. If the impact to the passenger side was severe enough, it should have deployed the side impact air bag, including the side curtain air bag, on the passenger side.
It is also possible that the frontal air bags should have deployed, but it depends on how much of a frontal deceleration your vehicle encountered, versus lateral (side-to-side) deceleration. For example, if your vehicle was no longer sliding forward and was hit at a pure 90 degree angle by the RV, then the frontal air bags probably should not have deployed. But, if you were still sliding forward at a high rate of speed, and you were hit on the side at an angle of 30 degrees, then maybe they should have deployed. The damage pattern to your vehicle can help decipher this. Also, you may want to read the following article posted elsewhere on this blog: http://www.theairbagblog.com/how-airbags-work/my-airbag-did-not-deploy-what-went-wrong/
We will also contact you privately to discuss this in more detail, and provide you more information.
i had a crash at about 50-60 mph hitting center wall driver side on freeway no air bags deployed most damage done on driver side i was seriously injured should air bags have deployed on this 2007 cts ?
Generally, the more serious the injuries, the more likely it is that at least one of your air bags should have deployed. Unfortunately, a defect in the air bag system can prevent an air bag from deploying when it should deploy.
Whether the deployment threshold was crossed and whether the air bags should have deployed in a particular accident will depend on the speed of the vehicle, the angle of impact, the geometry (size and shape) of the object being hit, the stiffness of your car (which depends on where your car was hit), the stiffness of the other object, and other factors.
A preliminary assessment of whether an air bag should have deployed in your case can be conducted by reviewing photographs of the accident damage and the police report.
I am always happy to review the information in cases such as yours, in light of my 20 years of experience with air bags. You are welcome to send it by email, fax or mail, whichever is more convenient for you. Remember, there is never a charge for my preliminary assessment of your potential case.
My 2002 Escalade just had an airbag explode when I turned on the ignition. I was sitting in my garage, and only turned the key. The next thing I knew, My side airbag hit me in the head, neck, arm, and side. So far, there is no evidence that it had any reason to be deployed. I was told by the fire dept., hospital, Cadillac dealer,service station, and G.E. customer service they have never heard of anything happening like this. I find that difficult to believe considering it JUST HAPPENED TO ME!!!!
Tammy,
Thanks for your inquiry about a potential defect in your 2002 Cadillac Escalade airbag system. There is no question that your airbags should never deploy when you simply turn on the ignition. The deployment is almost certainly an electrical problem; it could be due to wiring issues or it could be due to the electronic control module / crash sensor for the air bag system, which GM calls a Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM). Unnecessary and inadvertent air bag deployments often occur when you start your vehicle, because the SDM generates an electrical current then that tries to diagnose your airbag system to make sure it is working properly. In some cases, that diagnostic current may be enough to deploy the airbag if there is an electrical fault.
I would not be at all surprised if GM had received other such complaints, which they often document through “1241 forms”. However, those are internal GM documents and you probably won’t get them from GM without a lawsuit. And, if this happened prior to GM declaring bankruptcy (June 1, 2009), you may not have any claim remaining against them due to the bankruptcy laws.
Although I was unable to locate any complaints filed with the appropriate government agency (U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA), I strongly recommend you file a complaint with them. You can do so over the phone or by mail, but I generally recommend you submit your complaint over the internet since it’s easy and allows you to use your own words in the complaint, rather than someone’s restatement of your words. You can go to the NHTSA website and file your complaint by clicking here. If enough people complain, NHTSA can open up a safety defect investigation; if it’s a serious or persistent problem, they may be able to force GM to recall their Cadillac Escalades to fix the problem before someone is seriously hurt.