First, just want to say how much I like this site. It was very helpful in my decision to buy a Vibe.
Does anyone know where I can find an airbag set or just the inflator that's NOT made by Takata? I think their recall is a little "iffy." Takata doesn't know what caused the problem, yet they're offering a fix (??). Also, the government issued a warning about BOTH the driver's and passenger's sides, but the recall is only for the passenger side. When I went to the dealer to have the fix done, (which they did do), they told me that a NEW recall for the airbag came in while I was there, but it says "Remedy Not Yet Available." I've included the exact wording below from the paper they gave me for the fix they did, as well as the one that came in that day. That's been a month now, and this week I called the Pontiac hotline who said there's no recall by that number.
I don't want to leave my family at risk while the government and Takata try to figure this thing out. Losing an eye, or a parent bleeding to death in front of their children is something I don't want my family to deal with, if it's preventable.
The parts stores say they don't carry airbags. The dealer wants $1000 FOR EACH SIDE, which I can't afford. The only thing I've found on the internet is used airbags, which seem like a reasonable choice if I can find any that aren't Takata. When I call the used parts places they say they don't know who makes them. One guy used a magnifying glass to find a name, but I can't find anything that shows this is actually an airbag manufacturer - it could just be a company who made a PART for the airbag, not the entire airbag.(the name was Dancel Hirscstellar). I would really like to get the Takatas out of my car and be done with it. Does anyone have any insight on how to determine who the manufacturer is, or where to buy non-Takatas for less than $1000 each?
The paper my dealer gave me says this:
14735 GM Recall Completed 9100836 Replace Front Passenger Air Bag Inflator Module (This is the one they did while
I was there)
14525 Product Safety Recall Front Passenger Airbag Module Incomplete - Remedy not yet available. 24 NO REMEMDY YET