class action settlement

[Hark]

Anyone know anything about the class action settlement for vehicle sensing and diagnostic module replacement? I got a letter telling me to take the car to a dealer to obtain reprogramming. Says it's TSB #07-09-41-006 - and I looked it up and it seems to be something with the airbag. I have a 97 with 125,000 miles on it and I never knew we had any airbag problems.

[dugan50]

GM has a lot of recall notices regarding multiple vehicle airbag recalls. Yours may be one of them and it may NOT necessarily be due to a class action lawsuit. it simply may be a safety recall.
Check out this site...www.airbagsolutions.com, especially to either the blog which posts all the airbag recalls or go to the resource page and link to NHTSA.
Your answers will await you
Good luck

[MT-2500]

Not sure what your letter is.
If it is a recall it is they pay for it.
And should be done for your saftey.

If just a TSB it is you pay.

Have you dealer run your vin no. for recalls and have all recalls done that it needs.

MT

[Hark]

This IS a class action settlement and the TSB just explains the settlement to the dealer so they know what to do. My dealer hadn't had anyone in about it so they printed out the TSB. Basically they are going to reprogram the airbag sensing and diagnostic module at no cost on certain 97-99 Malibus and Olds Cutlass. Important - the TSB clearly says you must present the letter to the dealer and the dealer has to keep a copy of the letter in order to get the repair - so no letter - no fix. I do recall getting a letter months back saying there was pending litigation and to sign and return if you still owned this vehicle. But I find it odd that they aren't repairing all the vehicles with problems - only if you have a letter.

Anyway - I don't know that we have a problem with the airbags, but we've never wrecked the vehicle, so don't know if they would go off if needed.

[MT-2500]

If the letter came from GM it is more than a TSB.
Letters usually pertain to recalls or saftey recalls.

For your saftey take it to your dealer and let him do his job on fixing it.

All recalls and tsb do not pertain or cover all cars.
Just certian ones made certain places and certain manf dates.
GM has a data base of what ones it needs to be done on.
All they have to do is punch in your vin no. to find out all info and recalls on it.
Good Luck
MT

[Hark]

I was just putting the info out there so anyone else that may have gotten a letter knows they do have a vehicle that needs fixed. My letter had our vehicle VIN # on the letter, so it was clear our vehicle was affected - and the dealer has already verified that our vehicle needs fixed. The TSB referred to at the bottom is just to explain to the dealers what the class action settlement agreement was - so the dealer knows what to fix and that it's at no cost to the customer. We are just waiting for an appointment with the dealer.

[Jorykea]

This was a class action lawsuit that was settled which surrounded inadvertant deployment of the airbag which can cause injury or death. The letter identifies the bearer as a respondent in the case and entitles them to the settlement which is reprogramming the sensing units to reduce the possibility of inadvertant deployment of the airbag.
The details of the case are outlined in this excerpt from the court documents. http://www.citizen.org/documents/GMFINALBIO.pdf
"Automobile manufacturers have long known of the dangers caused by inadvertent deployment of airbags. “Because air bags are designed to inflate almost instantly upon impact,” in some circumstances, “the force of the inflation can injure, even kill.”

Public Citizen v. Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., 374 F.3d 1251, 1254 (D.C. Cir. 2004).
Between 1997 and 1999, GM manufactured over 420,000 Chevrolet Malibu and Oldsmobile Cutlass automobiles at its facility in Oklahoma City. In 1999, as evidence began to accumulate that these two models, known collectively as GM P-90 automobiles, contained defective airbag systems that tended to deploy inadvertently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a safety investigation into the defects. NHTSA, however, ultimately closed its investigation without issuing a recall or requiring GM to correct the problem. Pet. App. 8a.
Respondents are owners and lessees of GM P-90 automobiles who sued GM in Oklahoma, alleging that the airbag system in their automobiles was defective and asserting claims under the Uniform Commercial Code for breach of express warranty, breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, and breach of the implied warranty of fitness..."