Front Air Bag problems of the 1996 Buick Skylark

I got a letter from gm , Buick motor division, that was a " customer advisory" not a recall that said if my 1996 Buick has ever been wet or had water soak the floor board on the passenger side the air bags might deploy at any time due to a malfunction of the control box located under the front passenger seat. It said I need to have the car serviced ASAP to correct the problem if it has indeed been wet . And it has been wet on several occasions due to failure of the door gaskets and rear window seal and possibly the trunk gasket. I feel that gm should pay at the least for the dealer to decide if the control box needs to be replaced or not . If not for the repairs needed to insure that the air bags don't deploy for no reason while I'm going down the road causing an accident. Air bags are supposed to help you not hurt you. J. M. K.

The contact owns a 1996 Buick Skylark. On June 18, 2008, the contact received an owner's manual supplement pertaining to the air bag controller module on the front passenger side. He is outraged because gm is refusing to make any repairs to the air bag system. The letter mentioned that consumers have sustained minor injuries due to air bag deployment after the vehicle has been exposed to water. The conclusion was that this is a design flaw. There had been no failure to date. The current mileage was 124,000.

While driving at 20mph front air bags deployed without vehicle being involved in an accident. Contacted dealer.

While driving on a smooth, clear two lane highway at a steady speed, passenger air bag deployed without warning.

Air bags: driving approximately 30mph when car ahead made an illegal turn, front ofconsumer's car hit the passenger's side of other car and neither air bag deployed.

While driving at approximately 25mph driver's airbag inadvertently deployed, no impact on hwy, sustained injury to right arm, no prior warning.

Consumer received a manufacturer's notice for air bag defect on Nov. /96 had the repairs done Dec. /96. Consumer had a vehicle crash on Mar-22-97 when the air bags deployed the passenger side bag was ripped, allowing a black colored sodium acid to spill into vehicle, this sodium acid has a bad smell that won't go away. The manufacturer said that was not possible and that mr. Fletcher was lying about the air bag.

Frontal air bags deployed while consumer was warming up the vehicle. There was no one inside the vehicle. When the airbags deployed front windshield broke on the passenger's side.

The air bags deployed without impact.