You have to love cars with problems.  You may remember the last time I vented about a recall notice on my Pontiac Vibe….it went something like….the passenger side airbag could deploy without warning, so keep that in mind as you are driving and when we get the parts to fix it we will send you another letter.  In the meantime, good luck.

It didn’t say that exactly, but the bottom line was about that cold.  My thoughts back then were….Why in the heck don’t you pull all those cars off the road, give us all loaner cars to drive and not subject us to the crashes that WILL happen in the event the airbag suddenly deploys as we are cruising down the freeway at 70 mph?

OK, back to the reason for this post.

Recall number 3!  Just got it in the mail yesterday.  It says, if I haven’t had the previous 2 recalls taken care of, that there is a 3rd recall for something related to the other 2 and to get the others done soon, because “when the parts become available for this recall”, the vehicle has to have had the others taken care of or this fix won’t stop the deploying of the airbag, but will only stop the “Electronic Control Module for the Supplemental Restraint System in your vehicle……..short circuiting when exposed to certain electrical noise from various vehicle electrical components”.  And it goes on….

That sounds like anyone sitting in the passenger seat could suddenly be held tightly by the seat belt as it tightens as if in a crash to keep you from flying forward.  And that could happen by anything causing an “electrical noise from various vehicle electrical components”……I take that to mean the blinker….the brake lights….headlights….electrical window winder….door locks….radio….cigarette lighter….air conditioner/heater fan….110 volt converter and/or anything under the hood that keeps the gas and air mixture doing whatever it does and the sparks sparking when they need to spark.

So, what is under my control?  I can use voice control to warn my passenger when I’m about to do something……”WARNING, WARNING, I’m about to turn the blinker on”!!!!   “WARNING, WARNING, I’m about to stop the car”!!!!   “WARNING, WARNING, I’m going to turn on the AC”!!!!   “WARNING, WARNING, I’m about to change the radio from Don Williams to Lead Zepplin”!!!

HOLD IT!  Head banging music will FOR SURE set off the deployment of that module!  It’s no wonder you don’t see Pontiac Vibes full of head banging kids with nose piercings and belly button rings!  All those Vibes have crashed already!

And so, I offer all of you this warning.  I know there aren’t many Pontiac Vibes on the road now, but as you are driving and are about to meet or pass one, keep this in mind….The air bag or subsequent seat belt deployment devises could suddenly react to an electrical noise, blow up violently inside the cab of the car and cause the driver to jerk to the left or right!  Meet or pass with quickness and be always on alert!  It’s not just them that are in danger here.

Me?  Well, I’ll drive as little as I can and might just make a sign for the passengers to read, telling them of the dangers of riding in my Pontiac Vibe.

Bears Butt

April 2, 2015