Preliminary Evaluation · Closed
Inadvertent Curtain and Seat Air Bag
Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
This investigation led to a recall
NHTSA links this probe to recall campaign 17V144000.
Read the recall: what is defective and the free fix →What NHTSA is examining
The Office of Defects Investigations opened this Preliminary Evaluation to investigate complaints alleging an inadvertent deployment of side air bags on model year 2012 Nissan Versa vehicles.The three complaints indicate the driver or passenger curtain and seat mounted air bags deployed when the front door on the same (affected) side was shut.According to Nissan, the defect identified involved the dissimilarity of the metals used in the side air bag sensor electrical connectors, gold versus tin materials.This combination may lead to fretting and oxidation on the connector pins of the Satellite Sensor and the harness which connects it to the Airbag Control Unit (ACU).Fretting and oxidation increases the likelihood of a momentary loss of connectivity, and thus communication from the sensor to the ACU.When communication is lost between the side impact sensor and the ACU, the system is designed to enter a ?backup state? mode of operation.The backup state allows the curtain and seat-mounted side air bags to deploy should the communication be accidentally lost during the course of a crash event. In this mode, the ?safing path? is used in the ACU algorithm for a deployment decision.By design, the safing path has a lower threshold for deployment compared to the normal state which requires both safing and trigger path thresholds to be met.Consequently, if this momentary communication loss occurs when the door is closed forcefully, it may cause the curtain and seat-mounted side air…
Vehicles under investigation
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation records, updated daily. An investigation is not a determination that a defect exists; many probes close without a recall.