Video evidence of unnecessary side airbag deployment has recently surfaced, along with written allegations of unwanted side airbag deployment during off-road driving. It appears that General Motors is aware of the complaints, but has yet to issue a statement.
Update 09/17/2018: GM has issued this statement on the matter: “We are aware of the customer reports, and our team is investigating them.”
Chevy Colorado
This airbag issue isn’t just the domain of Chevrolet Colorado owners. Our friends at Kelly Blue Book had an incident with a side-airbag deploying while they were slowly driving down a fire road. It even happened on a desert trail, as one Colorado customer discovered.
Not only is side airbag deployment dangerous – barring an accident – it is extremely expensive to repair. Prices range from $5,000 – $8,000 depending on the overall damage. Headliner, windows and seats can be damaged, depending on the physics of the deployment. In some cases, insurance companies are able to pay off much, if not all of the claim. Still, weeks and weeks of waiting for your vehicle to be returned is an added pain.
… and there’s the question of trust. Do you still trust your vehicle after such an incident? How can you be sure it won’t happen again and cost you even more?
Hopefully, we will have a more complete picture as to what is going on and how GM is handling this situation soon.
If you have had a similar incident with unwanted airbag deployment, head to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website and report it.
