| Subject: | Front occupant classification system mat |
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| Investigations Summary: | NHTSA received a letter from the petitioner on 07/23/2019, requesting that the office of defects investigation determine whether or not the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor (or mat) in model year (my) 2011 Nissan leaf is defective, and thereby affects the proper deployment of the passenger front air bag. The OCS is intended to determine whether or not a small statured person, or a child seat is occupying the front passenger seat. If so, the OCS disables the front passenger air bag to reduce injury risk to the occupant. When the OCS mat fails, a warning light appears on the instrument panel indicating that the OCS system is not operating correctly. According to the petitioner, the repair for a failed OCS mat consists of replacement of the front passenger seat. The petitioner provided estimated repair costs and a list of potentially relevant vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) reports the petitioner identified in the NHTSA complaint database. The petitioner also cited an existing NHTSA safety recall for a similar defect issue on later my leaf vehicles. This defect petition has been opened to evaluate the alleged defect and determine whether to grant or deny the petition request. The petitioner's voq and the petition letter can be found at NHTSA. Gov under NHTSA id 11234415. |
| Vehicles Affected by this investigation: |
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