NHTSA Complaint #10429495 — 2008 GMC SIERRA

ON SEPT. 28TH ABOUT 1PM I WAS TRAVELING ON A DIRT ROAD WHEN I APPROACHED SOME POT HOLES. THE DAY WAS SUNNY AND DRY AND I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKE BUT AS I HIT THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN I HIT THE FIRST COUPLE AND MY SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED THAT THE COMPUTER ADVISED IT WAS IN A ROLL AND DEPLOYED THE SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS AND ALSO THEY ADVISED THE COMPUTER SENSED THERE WAS SOMEONE IN THE PASSANGERS SEAT WHEN THERE WASN'T SO MAYBE THE SEAT SENSORS A BIT SENSITIVE. IT WAS EVIDENT I WASN'T IN A ROLL AND THEY REFERRED ME TO GM CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO TOOK MY INFOMRATION AND SENT A 3RD PARTY I BELIEVE RAYTHEON TO DO AN INSPECTION. I CALLED GM YESTERDAY AND THEY ADVISED THEY RECEIVED THE RESULTS AND PER THEIR ENGINEERS AND THE DATA THEY PULLED THEY DETERMINED THAT THE POT HOLES THAT I HAD HIT (WHICH WERE NOT LARGE) WERE LARGE ENOUGH TO TELL THE COMPUTER THAT I HAD LOST STABILITY AND TO DEPLOY THE AIR BAGS. WITH THAT THEY DETERMINED THAT THE SYSTEMS WERE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND THAT THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY ISSUES OR COSTS. I HAD SPOKEN WITH JOE THE SUPERVISOR AND I HAD ASKED HIM THAT WHEN I GET THIS FIXED AM I TO BE LEARY OF POT HOLES IN THE FUTURE THAT IT MIGHT SET THEM OFF AGAIN AND HE DIRECTLY ANSWERED THAT THAT IS A POSSIBILITY THAT IF THE COMPUTER SENSES THAT THE TRUCK HAS LOST STABILITY THAT THEY WILL DEPLOY AGAIN. AGAIN HE ADVISED EVERYTHING WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. AT THIS POINT I HAVE TO GET MY TRUCK FIXED BUT I'M DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING IT AS IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AT FREEWAY SPEEDS I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I DID SEE ANOTHER SAFETY REVIEW THAT I BELIEVE HAD A NHTSA REVIEW # 10205258 WHICH APPEARS JUST LIKE MY INCIDENT BUT THAT ONE FOR A 2007 GMC YUKON. GM ADVISED THAT THE REPAIRS WOULD COST $2700 AND IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN I WOULD AGAIN BE LIABLE FOR THE COST EVEN THOUGH IN MY MIND IT'S A DESIGN OR ENG. FLAW. *KB