March 7, 2019

Passenger Seat Occupant Detection System may Fail

In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, an incorrect classification may result in the passenger frontal air bag deploying even if there is a child in the front passenger seat, increasing their risk of injury.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V187

Manufacturer Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

Components SEATS, AIR BAGS

Potential Number of Units Affected 31,302

 

Summary

Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kizashi and 2006-2013 Grand Vitara vehicles. The front passenger leather seat may shrink due to high humidity and high temperature. As a result, the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor mat may not accurately detect if an adult or child is occupying the seat.

 

Remedy

Suzuki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat bottom cushion, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on May 3, 2019. A second notification will be mailed when the remedy is available. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki’s numbers for this recall are 4011 and 4012.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

Check if your Suzuki has a Recall

 

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Automotive

Safety Recall Campaign SC-80

May 1, 2019

 

Safety Recall Campaign for Front Passenger

Seat Occupant Classification System

Affected Models:

Certain 2006 – 2013 Suzuki Grand Vitara (JB627 / JB632W / JB424W)

Certain 2010 – 2013 Suzuki Kizashi vehicles (A6B424)

Affected Departments:

Management, Service, Warranty, Parts

 

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Suzuki Motor Corporation has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain  2006 – 2013 Suzuki Grand Vitara and 2010 – 2013 Suzuki Kizashi vehicles equipped with leather seats.

 

What is the problem?

The natural leather seating surface of the front passenger seat may shrink. This condition can impose a modest pressure on the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor mat contained within the passenger seat bottom cushion. This can cause the OCS to judge that there is a child in the seat when the seat is vacant. Or it can cause the OCS to judge that there is an adult in the seat when the seat is occupied by a child. In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, an incorrect classification can cause the air bag to deploy, even with a child in the front passenger seat, increasing the risk of injury to the child.

 

Affected Models:

Certain 2006 – 2013 Grand Vitara (JB627 / JB632W / JB424W) and Certain 2010 – 2013 Kizashi vehicles (A6B424)

 

What is Suzuki doing to solve the problem?

Suzuki will replace the passenger seat bottom cushion of affected vehicles. The replacement seat bottom cushion has an insert of synthetic leather on the seating surface which allows the occupant classification system (OCS) to accurately determine the occupant status of the passenger seat.

Replacement parts are estimated to be available late in the fourth quarter of 2019. Suzuki will notify Suzuki Service Providers when parts are available for shipment.

In the meantime, if a customer brings an affected 2006 – 2013 Grand Vitara or 2010 – 2013 Kizashi to your shop with a concern that the OCS may not be correctly classifying occupants, please contact Tech-Line at (800) 934-1616 for further instructions.

NOTE:

See pages 2 – 3 in this bulletin for a sample of the initial customer notice.

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SUZUKI MOTOR OF AMERICA, INC.

IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

This Notice Applies to Your Suzuki Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

May 3, 2019

Dear Suzuki Owner:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Suzuki Motor Corporation has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2006 – 2013 Suzuki Grand Vitara and 2010 – 2013 Suzuki Kizashi vehicles equipped with leather seats. According to our records, you own one of the vehicles affected by this recall.

 

What is the problem?

The natural leather seating surface of the front passenger seat may shrink. This condition can impose a modest pressure on the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor mat contained within the passenger seat bottom cushion. This can cause the OCS to judge that there is a child in the seat when the seat is vacant. Or it can cause the OCS to judge that there is an adult in the seat when the seat is occupied by a child. In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, an incorrect classification can cause the air bag to deploy, even with a child in the front passenger seat, increasing the risk of injury to the child.

 

What is Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) doing to solve the problem?

Suzuki will replace the passenger seat bottom cushion of affected vehicles. The replacement seat bottom cushion has an insert of synthetic leather on the seating surface which allows the occupant classification system (OCS) to accurately determine the occupant status of the passenger seat.

Replacement parts are estimated to be available late in the fourth quarter of 2019. Suzuki will mail you a second notification letter when the repair procedure and parts are available.

This safety recall repair will be performed by a Suzuki Service Provider at no cost to you for parts and labor.

 

What you should do:

Until the repair can be completed on your vehicle, you should not install a child or infant restraint system in the front passenger seat. Children should be seated in the rear seat. Likewise, do not allow a small person, such as a child that has outgrown child restrains or a very small adult, to sit in the front passenger seat. Lastly, always be sure that all occupants wear their seat belts. After the repair, consult your owner’s manual for recommended safety measures relating to seating positions.

This notice was mailed to you according to the latest information that is available to us. If you no longer own the vehicle described in this notice, please complete and return the attached Change of Address/Ownership card to Suzuki, and forward this recall information to the current owner (if known).

Federal regulations require that any vehicle lessor receiving this campaign notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.

 

Customer reimbursement for repairs prior to this Safety Recall Notification:

If your vehicle is included in this recall and you have paid for repairs to address the defect that led to this recall, you may be eligible for full or partial reimbursement. Please note the following conditions for reimbursement:

• Only repairs made to address the defect that led to this recall are reimbursable. Additional expenses such as towing, car rental, accommodations, damage repairs, etc., will not be reimbursed. Reimbursement will not be provided for routine scheduled maintenance.
• Reimbursement may be limited to the suggested list price for parts, the Suzuki published flat-rate time allowance for the repair, and the labor rate that an authorized Suzuki Service Provider in the same area would charge for the same repair.
• Reimbursement claims may also be excluded when adequate documentation is not submitted by the claimant. This includes a proof of ownership, a repair order, and proof of payment for the repair.

To apply for reimbursement, contact Suzuki’s Customer Service Department at (714) 572-1490.

 

Who to contact if you experience problems:

Your Suzuki Service Provider can provide you the fastest response to your questions or concerns about this safety recall campaign. If you have any difficulty with this recall campaign, you may contact Suzuki’s Customer Service Department for assistance at (714) 572-1490 during the hours of 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM Pacific Time. Please have your vehicle identification number (VIN) ready when calling. The VIN for your vehicle is listed at the top of this notice.

If you need to locate your nearest Suzuki Service Provider, please visit www.----escape_sem_autolink_uri:da8bfed0d0327f7103832c8acb9ec81d----.com, click on Automotive, followed by the Service Provider tab at the top of the web page.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience this Important Safety Recall may cause, but we are certain you understand our interest in your safety and your continued satisfaction with your Suzuki vehicle.

Sincerely,

Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

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Chronology of Principal Events

On November 3, 2011, Suzuki received a Field Technical Information Report (FTIR) reporting that the “air bag off” telltale lamp in a Kizashi vehicle was illuminated when the front passenger seat was vacant.  (The intended design is to have no illumination when the seat is vacant.)  Suzuki retrieved the seat cushion for study and provided the OCS mat and bottom seat cushion to the mat supplier.  The supplier found no fault in the OCS mat that would explain the symptoms.

Suzuki did not receive any similar reports until 2014, when a report was received involving a Grand Vitara vehicle exhibiting similar symptoms.  Again, Suzuki retrieved the seat cushion for study and provided the OCS mat and bottom seat cushion to the mat supplier.  As before, the supplier found no fault in the OCS mat that would explain the symptoms.  One additional report was received in 2015.  In this case, the seat cushion was retrieved for study and sent to the seat supplier, who found no fault in the construction of the seat cushion assembly or performance of the OCS mat.

Suzuki received two additional reports in 2016, and at this point, noted that the leather seat cover appeared shrunken on one of the retrieved seats.  Suzuki was able to replicate leather shrinkage when the leather was made wet and then dried at a high temperature, but did not perceive that condition to be likely to occur in a motor vehicle environment.

By late 2017, Suzuki had received a total of 10 FTIRs involving Kizashi and Grand Vitara vehicles, and confirmed that the Occupant Classification System (OCS) was misclassifying a vacant passenger seat as a child occupant, and misclassifying a child occupant sitting directly on the seat (not in a child restraint system) as an adult occupant, most likely as a result of the effect of shrunken leather on the seat cover.  However, Suzuki continued to believe that the conditions necessary to result in shrunken leather were not likely to occur in reasonably foreseeable usage conditions.

In an effort to seek the real-world conditions that would result in natural leather shrinkage Suzuki continued its investigation during 2018.  It consulted with the leather supplier, analyzed the effects of adhesives on the leather, investigated the effect of UV exposure on the leather, studied the effects of high ambient temperature (up to 194°F), but could not induce shrinkage of the leather.  Suzuki also collected sample seats from its spare parts warehouse for investigation, but none of them exhibited the shrinkage.

In Nov. 2018, Suzuki investigated California state environmental conditions where most of the incidents were reported.  Suzuki learned that there are large variations in the ambient temperature and humidity in that State. Suzuki confirmed that the natural leather of the seat cover can shrink in foreseeable usage conditions as replicated by results of the temperature and humidity cycle tests with natural leather test pieces.

In February 2019, Suzuki conducted a series of tests on seats exhibiting the shrunken leather condition, covering the range of FMVSS 208 test conditions, to determine the consequences of the shrunken leather.  Suzuki determined that the OCS could misclassify a rear facing child restraint as an adult. On February 28, 2019, Suzuki decided to conduct a safety recall to address this condition.  Suzuki has received no reports of injuries or of inappropriate air bag deployment related to this issue.

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Updated Chronology of Principal Events

On November 3, 2011, Suzuki received a Field Technical Information Report (FTIR) reporting that the “air bag off” telltale lamp in a Kizashi vehicle was illuminated when the front passenger seat was vacant.  (The intended design is to have no illumination when the seat is vacant.)  Suzuki retrieved the seat cushion for study and provided the OCS mat and bottom seat cushion to the mat supplier.  The supplier found no fault in the OCS mat that would explain the symptoms.

Suzuki did not receive any similar reports until 2014, when a report was received involving a Grand Vitara vehicle exhibiting similar symptoms.  Again, Suzuki retrieved the seat cushion for study and provided the OCS mat and bottom seat cushion to the mat supplier.  As before, the supplier found no fault in the OCS mat that would explain the symptoms.  One additional report was received in 2015.  In this case, the seat cushion was retrieved for study and sent to the seat supplier, who found no fault in the construction of the seat cushion assembly or performance of the OCS mat.

Suzuki received two additional reports in 2016, and at this point, noted that the leather seat cover appeared shrunken on one of the retrieved seats.  Suzuki was able to replicate leather shrinkage when the leather was made wet and then dried at a high temperature, but did not perceive that condition to be likely to occur in a motor vehicle environment.

By late 2017, Suzuki had received a total of 10 FTIRs involving Kizashi and Grand Vitara vehicles, and confirmed that the Occupant Classification System (OCS) was misclassifying a vacant passenger seat as a child occupant, and misclassifying a child occupant sitting directly on the seat (not in a child restraint system) as an adult occupant, most likely as a result of the effect of shrunken leather on the seat cover.  However, Suzuki continued to believe that the conditions necessary to result in shrunken leather were not likely to occur in reasonably foreseeable usage conditions.

In an effort to seek the real-world conditions that would result in natural leather shrinkage Suzuki continued its investigation during 2018.  It consulted with the leather supplier, analyzed the effects of adhesives on the leather, investigated the effect of UV exposure on the leather, studied the effects of high ambient temperature (up to 194°F), but could not induce shrinkage of the leather.  Suzuki also collected sample seats from its spare parts warehouse for investigation, but none of them exhibited the shrinkage.

In Nov. 2018, Suzuki investigated California state environmental conditions where most of the incidents were reported.  Suzuki learned that there are large variations in the ambient temperature and humidity in that State. Suzuki confirmed that the natural leather of the seat cover can shrink in foreseeable usage conditions as replicated by results of the temperature and humidity cycle tests with natural leather test pieces.

In February 2019, Suzuki conducted a series of tests on seats exhibiting the shrunken leather condition, covering the range of FMVSS 208 test conditions, to determine the consequences of the shrunken leather.  Suzuki determined that the OCS could misclassify a rear facing child restraint as an adult. On February 28, 2019, Suzuki decided to conduct a safety recall to address this condition.  Suzuki has received no reports of injuries or of inappropriate air bag deployment related to this issue.

On November 14, 2019, SMC decided that initiation of the recall for Suzuki Kizashi vehicles would have to be delayed until early April 2020, due to a delay in the production of an adequate supply of countermeasure parts.

 

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12 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
SUZUKI	GRAND VITARA	2006-2013
SUZUKI	KIZASHI	2010-2013

 

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12 Associated Documents

Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)- Initial Notification from SMC

RCMN-19V187-1203.pdf 64.866KB