STS-V Crash With Airbag Failure & Stability Control Failure

izzman · #1 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 09:59 PM

I recently crashed my 2006 STS-V. Here are the facts.

I was travelling straight on a rain slicked road with the car in auto-stick mode. The car was traveling at the posted speed limit with the stability control engaged. While shifting gears the car lurched to the left and crossed the median into a utility pole causing approximately $30,000 in damage to the front end of the car. Most of the damage was to the front and the left steering tower. I had a passenger in the car in the front seat who was seat-belted and sitting away from the dashboard and weighed approximately 130 lbs. Her airbag DID NOT deploy. The car is not a total loss according to the insurance company and will be repaired over three months (while I pay nearly $1,000/month in lease payments).

My questions to this forum are
1) Has anyone else had a similar failure of the cars' safety features?
2) Has anyone tried to get Cadillac to take the product back or make payments on the car in leui of legal action forcing them to do so?

I have photos of the accident which, while we do have nagging injuries, we thankfully walked away from.

CIWS · #2 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:09 PM

Damn dude, glad to hear everyone is pretty much Ok.

A guess ? Passenger side sensor was not set, detecting the weight of an adult human in the seat to fire the airbag.

Find out if they can extract the data from the car's computer of the last several seconds to see what it shows.

izzman · #3 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:13 PM

The car is at a Cadillac body shop for nearly a month. I am asking questions but not getting any answers.

CIWS · #4 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:16 PM

Was it a full size adult in the passenger seat ?

izzman · #5 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:20 PM

Absolutely. 5' 5" 130lbs and belted.

CadillacSTS2003 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:20 PM

damn dude
that sucks real bad
beautiful car even wrecked

CIWS · #7 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by izzman

Absolutely. 5' 5" 130lbs and belted.

I can't remember the weight limit (min) but I'm pretty sure that would be enough.

**Florian** · #8 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:26 PM

a little glue will fix that right up.....
I cant believe that isnt a totalled car....that front end is DONE....your suspension will never be the same.

Sorry about your V, bro.

F

Eldo1953 · #9 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:29 PM

You never know, todays airbags are very advanced, it takes into account seat position, passenger weight and vehicle speed. If she did not sustain injuries with the air bag not deploying, I don't think the air bag deploying would have helped.

Bee iLL · #10 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 10:46 PM

I would say it is worth getting a 3rd party estimate on total damages... I can't believe that car is not totalled from looking at the pics. I wouldn't want to drive it anymore. I would really push them on totalling it, though I don't know the laws on totalling a car. I would start doing some research on my state laws. Question though, how does the car lurch to the left from shifting gears while driving straight? I'm not an expert but one would think that one should not have anything to do with the other.

BMBSALES · #11 (**permalink**) 10-14-07, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Florian

a little glue will fix that right up.....
I cant believe that isnt a totalled car....that front end is DONE....your suspension will never be the same.

Sorry about your V, bro.

F

totalled 06 1sf. push them harder dude

VelocitySTSV · #12 (**permalink**) 10-15-07, 10:09 AM

I would agree, really weird. You said you were traveling straight correct, not just off a turn or anything?

Berger 93 · #13 (**permalink**) 10-15-07, 11:29 AM

Not to harp, but why would one manually shift their car on a rain slicked road????

One point you say you were travelling the posted speed limit, and if so why shift?? Or were you accellerating, thus requiring shifting? Did you inadvertently down shift in lieu of up shift?

The Pirellis have TERRIBLE traction unless it is dry out IMHO . . . I got mine into a very MINOR snow, and it scared the heck out of me. Just slowly driving around a slight bend sent the rear end of the car out . . .

The impact was on the drivers side so I'd say the passengerside air bag did not deploy per design.

Totalling out a standard STS would be a lot easier than a V just due to car value . . . The pics of the base STS shows structural damage front AND rear . . .

I see abosutely no reason why GM or Cadillac have any liability in this . . . .

bobs-sts-v · #14 (**permalink**) 10-15-07, 11:51 AM

I tend to agree with Berger on the tires. Those Pirelli's just SUCK in the rain. Major reason why I changed to the GS-D3s. My heart couldn't take it going around corners in traffic - and having the back end let loose. I love a spirited slide/drift as much as the next guy, but definitely NOT in the rain, and NOT in traffic. If you have more than 10K on those Pirelli's, they may have contributed to your slide.
I also agree that the car should be totaled. There looks to be major frame and engine damage. It is certainly more than "cosmetic." I bet when the mechanics start disassembly, they will find all kinds of other problems (frame mounts, exhaust, etc.). Does your insurance company have a "top dollar" value, that if repairs exceed it, that they will total it? Find out what that $$ is.

Bob

WillySTS · #15 (**permalink**) 10-15-07, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berger 93

Not to harp, but why would one manually shift their car on a rain slicked road????

One point you say you were travelling the posted speed limit, and if so why shift?? Or were you accellerating, thus requiring shifting? Did you inadvertently down shift in lieu of up shift?

The Pirellis have TERRIBLE traction unless it is dry out IMHO . . . I got mine into a very MINOR snow, and it scared the heck out of me. Just slowly driving around a slight bend sent the rear end of the car out . . .

The impact was on the drivers side so I'd say the passengerside air bag did not deploy per design.

Totalling out a standard STS would be a lot easier than a V just due to car value . . . The pics of the base STS shows structural damage front AND rear . . .

I see abosutely no reason why GM or Cadillac have any liability in this . . . .

I agree...

When you manually shift the trans shifts harder and may break the tires loose
stabilitrack is an assist, not a driver.

On the passenger side seat air bag switch, 115- 135l is the threshold for the switch to operate. So, the air bag may not have been activated on that side and it would be a normal operation of it if it didn't.