Airbag Problems Plague New Hyundais

June 23, 2004
Hyundai is wrestling with an airbag problem in its 2004 Elantra sedan. The airbag's sensor system is designed to keep the airbag from deploying when there is a child in the front passenger seat.

The problem is it's also preventing airbag deployment when adults who weigh less than 150 pounds sit in the seat, unless they position themselves perfectly in the center.

In many cases, the problem manifests from Day 1.

"On the way home from the dealership the air bag light was intermittently going on and off, stating the passenger air bag is off," Rodney of Narrowburg, NY, said in a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com.

Like many other purchasers, Rodney complained to his dealer.

"I was handed a technical service bulletin number 4-90-003 stating you must sit perfectly straight, upright, legs extended all the way forward in order for the air bag to be on. Well, with an adult in the seat over the specified weight you can not move at all. Lift a leg, move your butt, recline your seat at all and the air bag "off" light comes on.

A Hyundai spokesman said the only thing passengers not heavy enough to activate the airbag can do now is sit somewhere else. Other than that, Hyundai said all it can advise is that consumers take a long test drive -- with regular passengers sitting where they normally would -- before deciding to buy the car.

That response may not be quite enough.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has opened an investigation into Hyundai's problem and response. The investigation could lead to a recall.

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