Hallo
in Südafrika scheint es aktuell einige Probleme mit Renault-Fzg. und Airbags zu geben:
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1 ... 964C780155
Leider sind nicht die genauen Typen genannt:
(unter related stories (ganz unten) findet man auch die Vorgeschichte dieses Artikels.)
Auszug aus obigem Link:
Drivers question Renault's safety record
May 18 2006 at 08:53AM By Alex Eliseev
Renault is the only car manufacturer to have eight of its current models awarded a full five stars for safety on the globally respected Euro Ncap rating.
But, following our report on Wednesday about Sally Mulder's 10-hour ordeal of lying trapped inside her crashed car, readers have come forward with stories of how the French-produced cars failed them.
Lawrence de Villiers, a Melville resident, said his airbag failed to inflate when he swerved to avoid a pedestrian and smashed head-on into a traffic light at about 60km/h at the end of last year.
'I don't feel safe in my car any more'
He said on Wednesday: "I'm scared. I don't feel safe in my car any more. My daughter (who drives a Renault Clio) and I are both considering getting new cars."
After his crash De Villiers, who is a medical doctor, tried to get answers from Renault SA but after a series of calls and emails, failed. He was sent a report that his airbags had been operational. Luckily his seatbelt prevented serious injuries.
But when Karin Connolly was involved in an accident in March this year, not only did her airbag not deploy, but her seatbelt failed and she broke her sternum against the steering wheel.
Connolly, a Kempton Park resident, was driving her two-year-old Clio at about 80km/h when a car cut left in front of her. She crashed into the car's front passenger side.
"The seatbelt didn't hold me and the airbag didn't inflate," she said. "I felt the pain immediately. I was struggling to breathe."
'One of the safest vehicles'
Connolly's husband Gerard took the matter up with Renault SA. Renault claimed the impact was not severe enough for the airbags to deploy. Bill Haskins has had two separate cases of airbags in his Clio deploying when he hit minor obstacles in the road.
He explained that after driving up a pavement, and going over a bump, his passenger airbags inflated. He too has taken his case to Renault, but has had no response.
Zelna Lloyd, of Pretoria, said she was forced to sell her one-year-old Megane two months ago after a year of problems.
"For the full year the airbag warning light kept flashing," she said. "I took it into the garage but they could not figure out what the problem was. I couldn't drive a car I didn't feel safe in."
But Renault SA's vice-president of communication, Doris Roberts, said the company was proud of its safety reputation.
"Renault is one of the safest vehicles," Roberts said yesterday.
Regarding Mulder's crash, which the family suspect was caused by an airbag inflating for no reason, Roberts said an investigation had started.
"It is being handled by our technical team and is being treated as a priority."
Roberts said Renault drivers could have their airbags tested in a matter of minutes using the CLIP diagnostic system available at dealerships.
The Automobile Association's Gary Ronald said yesterday that if an airbag warning light comes on you "need to take your car in to a dealer immediately".
He said: "You don't want a non-qualified, backyard mechanic working on the airbags.
"It's a delicate, explosive device which, if triggered by mistake, can cost R10 000 to replace. It's an important safety feature."
This article was originally published on page 2 of Pretoria News on May 18, 2006