Y61 passenger airbag inflator safety recall

[Rumcajs]

Nissan—N16 Pulsar, D22 Navara, Y61 Patrol, X-Trail Airbag Inflator

Expect recall letters from Nissan.......

 

Cheers

[Glort]

" Some airbag inflators were manufactured out of specification, which can create excessive pressure within the inflator during air bag deployment and result in abnormal deployment. " 

Translation: 

"They put too much shotgun powder in the things and if they do go off, they will probably take your head with them. "

​Don't you just love Politically correct mixed in with Sales and damage control talk???

I guess these things save people but I have to admit, having an airbag go off in a car i'm in isn't a comforting thought.  I have heard a lot of bad things about people being injured by them and just setting them off in the old man's wrecking yard for shits and giggles is enough to sober you right up at the thought of being in front of one. 

 

That said, I have seen quite a few cars now where there is hair and scalp embedded in the smashed windscreen and the engine is now next to, instead of in front of the driver, but the airbag or one airbag hasn't gone off at all. It all depends where the impact is and where the sensors are located on that vehicle. The other thing that seems to make a difference is as simple as Bumper bar re enforcement.  Foam, steel, aluminium and plastic all respond differently. On some cars this re enforcement changes mid model run and it's not hard to see the effects that has even when the sensors are located in the same place on the same chassis rails. 

It's interesting to see where on some models the slightest thing sets them off so the makers have repositioned them and then on the subsequent model, anything short of a direct head on with a freight train won't deploy them. One other thing that's interesting is where common damage is on Vehicles. 
On All Wheel Drive models it's far more common to have side damage and bent supports on the wheels than on front and rear wheel drive cars. Obviously the AWD's hang on a lot better but when they do go, they slide off into gutters and ditches sideways.  That isn't going to set off the airbags on a lot of vehicles nearly as readily as a frontal impact but in fact you noggin has less room to move before it hits something real hard.... like a tree or telegraph pole thats now hard up against the bodywork. 

 

One thing I really wonder about with airbags, especially cars with multiple ones, is if they can cause hearing damage when they go off? They go off with a hell of a bang even when you are standing well away from the things and set them off in open space.  Several going off inside a closed space must be enough to peg any DB meter. On some cars I have seen where the bags have deployed, I'm pretty sure the worst thing for me would be the bags themselves going off because there sure as hell wasn't much threat or damage from the accident itself.

 At very least I'm sure the airbags would be putting me in need of a new pair of Britches and Bonds undies. 
 

There are a lot of cars that would otherwise be easy repairs being written off these days simply because of the cost of replacing the airbags. 
That is a $2K + exercise on any vehicle and easy tips the already biased scales in favour of scrapping cars that need very little to get them back on the road good as new. 

 

OVer pressurised airbags could give some Patrols a whole new closer relationship to the term " Grenade" !    

 

[Rumcajs]

On 13/4/2013 at 9:38 AM, Rumcajs said:

Nissan—N16 Pulsar, D22 Navara, Y61 Patrol, X-Trail Airbag Inflator

Expect recall letters from Nissan.......

 

Cheers

Wow, the letter finally arrived yesterday, geez long time coming....

Anyone had it done yet, what is involved? How long they quote etc.?

Regards

[Rumcajs]

Well, had it done today and had a primetime view on how it is done as the tech didn't even bother to put the truck inside workshop.

The service advisor told me it is gonna take 1.5 hour...

The actual job took around 35 mins, he had the entire assembly out in less than 12 mins, then on the bench to remove flawed inflator tube to fit replacement and back in.

After the fitment the poor guy got confused when he powered the system and checked, he probably noticed that glow light is staying on instead going out after a few seconds (because I wired it that way so I can see when the glow system is on)
so he left the job for a foreman to figure out I guess to check what is going on.

Whatever they were doing afterwards took longer then actual recall job, truck sat there unattended for 40+ mins then obviously didn't make sense to them they opted out of it, just to tell me at handover.....all while I was looking at them.

I haven't noticed any stuff up yet after had a glance, all screws were there so the fingers crossed this is the last time I ever have to go there.

Regards

[Lost-Benji]

Funny, mine was done a couple of weeks back, reason given for the recall was possible foreign particles in the bag that would become projectiles on inflation. 

Anyway, done without any fuss. 

[Rumcajs]

Yeah that is the official explanation, I hope no more recalls as the experience waiting at Nissan service department is unpleasant.

I do feel sorry for people who have to endure it.

Regards

 

[Lost-Benji]

Probably has more to do with local dealer. Mine was great, walked in, had no details with me, they looked up my rego plate, booked in for that week. Done. 
 

Got all my fluids excluding Engine Oil (Both Diff's, T'fer Case, Gearbox and PS) for 255 clams as well. Can't complain on that.