General Motors Warns One Million Drivers About Unexpected Airbag Deployment Due To Flood Damage

General Motors Sent Out 1 Million Warning Letters but did not recall vehicles whose airbags could spontaneously trigger after getting wet. Two cases were reported this summer in the Midwest, but the problem dates back more than a decade, according to WISN-TV in Milwaukee. Both General Motors and the federal government investigated complaints about spontaneous airbag deployment caused by moisture as early as 1997. In one case, Wisconsin resident Lynda Schultz’s 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier flooded while in a parking lot. After the car dried out, Shultz used her vehicle, pulled into the driveway, put it in park and the airbag deployed in her face. “The letter said, ‘should your car ever become wet, the floor boards get soaked, don't drive your car, disconnect the battery and have it towed to a Chevrolet dealership,’” Schultz said. Water in the airbag electronics system located under the passenger seat can apparently cause the airbags to deploy, but not immediately. It can happen at any time after the electronics get wet. A General Motors spokesperson confirmed the airbag problem for certain 1996 and 1997 vehicles including the 1996 and 1997 Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac Grand Am, Pontiac Sunfire, Buick Skylark and Oldsmobile Achieva. According to General Motors, owners have been notified to get the electrical system checked if their vehicle has suffered flood damage.