2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Driver's steering wheel airbag malfunctioned and deployed unexpectedly while backing into a parking space. Safety of passengers through potential of bodily injury and car crash due to lack of sight and sudden explosion/deployment of airbag while car is actively being driven could have been causedby this malfunction. Various incidents of this safety issue have been reported, but no recalls have been officiated yet for this specific year and model. Vehicle has not inspected yet, it just occurred this morning. Insurance was notified, but said it needed to be inspected by a mechanic or dealership. Airbag light came on today for the first time while driving home and then airbag malfunctioned/deployed while parking.

While driving down the interstate at approximately 75mph to 80 mph, the driver side air bag curtain deployed with no warning or indication. There was no impact or bump in the road to cause vibration or a false signal to trigger the activation of the air curtain. I was simply driving the vehicle as normal when it deployed. When the airbags deployed, it caused me to swerve due to fear of the load noise, physical impact of air curtain, and visual interference. Fortunately, there was no traffic in the adjacent lanes, and I was able to get to the shoulder of the interstate. After I assessed the situation and calmed my nerves I navigated to my destination under the risk of visual impedance on the driver side. Emergency services was not contacted. The vehicle was not inspected by a professional however it was discussed with certified mechanics. In addition, I contacted the manufacturer in which they responded with..."There are no recalls for this vehicle, the vehicle is 16 years old with over 150K miles therefore they will do nothing. Regardless of the mileage and vehicle age, this should NOT have happened as there was no cause for it to happen. Luckily no additional damage took place or any major injury or fatality.

At approximately 12:05 pm on Monday, 6/12/23, I was making a right turn into a parking spot in front of Golden1 Credit Union, at 1040 E. Cypress Avenue. I was halfway into the turn when my driver's airbag deployed, striking me in the stomach and right hand and forearm. Despite being startled by the loud explosion, I managed to finish parking without hitting either the vehicle next to me or the curb. Approximately 1-2 minutes later, there was a second explosion from the airbag that sprayed small particles at me, again striking my right forearm. The incident left three superficial burn marks on my hand and arm. (I did not photograph them until this moment; only one mark is still visible.) My first thought when the airbag deployed was that I had been shot, as I heard a loud bang, smelled what I thought was gunpowder, and felt pain in my arm and stomach. I happened to be on a phone call with my spouse when it occurred (via hands-free stereo Bluetooth), so he heard the explosion followed by my shriek, and he also heard the second explosion. I had the vehicle towed to my trusted mechanics at Advanced Automotive. My service advisor was curious whether my vehicle (which I purchased used, in 2020) had been part of a safety recall in the past. In addition to his own research, he contacted a colleague at the local Jeep Chrysler dealer regarding same. Neither of them found any recall for my specific VIN, or for my specific vehicle year. He expressed his concern that even if they were to replace the airbag module, there was no guarantee that it would fix whatever had caused it to inadvertently deploy, and he recommended that I seek service from a Jeep/Chrysler dealer and implore them to take accountability for the issue. Prior to this incident, there was never any indication that anything was wrong with any safety system on the vehicle.

The air bag deployed without the vehicle being in an accident. I was traveling on I80 heading East at 70mph when the airbag deployed. I have not taken it to a dealer, I can't afford the repair bill at this time. No one other than family has inspected the vehicle. It is not an insurance issue. There was no warning that the airbag was going to go off. However there is now a light on in my dash. I do not know what caused the malfunction. I was in the vehicle alone thankfully. It was the passenger side airbag. I have contacted Jeep and they are not accepting any responsibility. They declined the claim as they put it in like 2 hours via e-mail.