U.S. auto safety regulators are evaluating allegations that the Chevrolet Tahoe’s side-curtain air bags may not properly protect back-seat passengers in a rollover crash of the sport-utility vehicle.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering a petition filed by an engineer who investigated an August 2011 crash in which three children riding in the SUV’s second and third rows were ejected, and one died. The agency posted the action on its website Monday.
U.S. automakers, led by General Motors, recalled a record 64 million cars and trucks in 2014. The Detroit-based automaker’s recall of 2.59 million small cars to fix a faulty ignition switch led to congressional hearings, a legal agreement with unprecedented regulatory oversight and a criminal investigation.
The petition on the Tahoe was filed in August by Donald Friedman of Xprts LLC, a Santa Barbara, California, engineering consulting firm that works with plaintiffs’ attorneys on product liability lawsuits. The Tahoe’s air bags are untethered, unlike some comparable SUVs, and its roof isn’t as sturdy, making it more likely that windows will shatter during a rollover, Friedman said.
A preliminary check didn’t find any similar reports of occupant ejection in other Tahoes, or the GMC Yukon that has a similar design, from the 2007 to 2015 model years, NHTSA said. Nevertheless, the agency has decided to evaluate the issue to decide whether to grant the petition and proceed to a formal investigation.
An expert hired by GM who investigated the 2011 crash concluded the ejected occupants weren’t wearing seat belts, according to a report filed with the petition. Friedman’s firm said the evidence was inconclusive.
The investigation covers the Tahoe from the 2010 model year, or about 58,000 vehicles.
