I was driving in my subdivision about three weeks ago, when suddenly the driver's side airbag in my 1996 Pontiac Grand Am went off. I immediately pulled over, turned on the emergency lights, and my fiance and I got out of the car. About thirty seconds later, the passenger side air bag goes off. I was very fortunate that this did not occur on a main road or on the freeway because someone could have been seriously hurt. My fiance's mother and I have been in contact with General Motors for about two weeks now. They have not been very helpful with my situation, and as of right now, I will probably have to pay for the repairs out of pocket, even though there was no accident, and I am not to blame for this. I have read similar cases on the internet, and this may be due to a corroded wire in the air bag system. GM should really consider calling a recall on these airbag systems before their customers get seriously hurt or worse as a result of GM's negligence.

- Ypsilanti, MI, USA

A tech issue memo issued from Pontiac/GM dated April, 1998 stated that owners may claim water leaking into the front passenger compartment of the car due to an inferior adhesive used during the manufacturing process on the top vent grille... was given to me by my mechanic, after I disvoered water leakage on my passenger area floor for 2 years (which I attributed to my negligence only) until this water leakage finally caused a short in my air bag module (located under the front passenger seat) which caused all of the other car electrical systems to short out. Seal to the top vent grille was replaced, short repaired, airbag module was disconnected and the battery was replaced. The airbag module will be replaced at a later date when I can afford it. This totals $956.99 (including NY sales tax) which I requested Pontiac reimburse me for. They steadfastedly refuse to reimburse me due to basically 4 things: (1) the warranty time expired on the car, (2) the age of the car, (3) the fact that I didn't bring it directly to Pontiac to fix it (4) the fact that it wasn't a recall... my arguement is: (1) the warranty expiring shouldn't absolve GM/Pontiac of responsibility of the defect, (2) the normal wear and tear on this car (in spite of it's age) wouldn't have produced this water damage if the top vent grille was properly sealed in the manufacturing process by Pontiac in the first place (3) I didn't know that Pontiac caused this problem until after the damage was done and my mechanic told me about the tech issue memo (I have a copy) and (4) why wasn't this a recall? I sent a letter to Pontiac's customer assistance center in detroit, mi on or about June 27, 2005 with all relevant documentation backing up my claim (yours for the asking), who called me back today, refusing to reimburse me on this claim. I know that negligence by Pontiac caused some major damage to my car of which I believe I should be reimbursed for.

- Bronx, NY, USA

I was driving on the expressway at 70 mph and without warning, my driverside airbag deployed. I was in shock and had temporary hearing loss. Both of my lips were bloodied, I was burned on my neck and I still have ocassional ringing in my ears. I don't know how, but when my line of vision was clear, I saw I had maintained the position in my lane and continued traveling. Then, a few minutes later, my passenger- side airbag deployed without warning. Thankfully, my girlfriend was sleeping in the backseat. Again I had temporary hearing loss, but kept driving until I got to my home. I contacted General Motors dealership, but they did not feel they could help since they had not heard of this problem. There were a series of phone calls between General Motors, my dad and me. Out of the blue in one conversation, General Motors asked if I had water on my floorboard and when I said that I did, they said the airbags probably deployed because of this and it was my fault for not getting that fixed. When my dad asked what that had to do with the airbags and if they were aware that this was a problem, they said it was a routine question. Subsequently, a General Motors dealership has concluded that water under the passenger seat cause the computer module to corrode. They are willing to replace the airbags and the computer, but not fix they water problem that they indicated may have caused this. We have discussed this problem with independent mechanics and have since received technical bulletins stating that the water problem is inherent to this vehicle.

- Akron, OH, USA

Air bag deployed when starting the vehicle. I leaned in to start my 96 Pontiac Grand Am and when I turned the ignition the air bag deployed injuring my chest and neck. GM takes no responsibility as they say it is a maintenance issue due to standing water around the deployment module.

- Erie, PA, USA

My driver side and passenger side airbags deployed while I was driving eastbound on rt. 251 without cause. Fortunately, I was by myself and was able to pull off onto the side of the road. Luckily, I sustained minor abrasions on the left side of my face. My insurance company would not pay for repairs, due to electrical short.

- Henrietta, NY, USA