The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 4-DOOR SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SIDE AIR BAGS. THE SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE A REVISED LEVEL SIDE CRASH SENSOR THAT COULD DEPLOY THE SIDE AIR BAG IF THE IGNITION KEY IS IN THE "RUN" POSITION AND THE SEATBELT WEBBING IS FORCIBLY EXTRACTED FROM A LOCKED RETRACTOR WITH A JERKING MOTION.
The risk
INADVERTENT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT COULD CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SIDE CRASH SENSORS WITH A REVISED DESIGN THAT WILL REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF AN UNEXPECTED SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2000 |
| Mercury Mountaineer | 2000 |
Components: AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2000 | 952 | 9 |
| Mercury Mountaineer | 2000 | 123 | 6 |
Other air bags recalls in 2000
15 of the 541 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2000 concerned the air bags; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 00V412000 6 Dec 2000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 00V388000 28 Nov 2000 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. |
| 00V371000 13 Nov 2000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 00V332000 17 Oct 2000 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 00V306000 12 Oct 2000 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 00V270000 13 Sept 2000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 00V244000 29 Aug 2000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 00V235000 23 Aug 2000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2000