Suzuki recalls almost 200,000 cars due to faulty air bag sensors in front seat



It is only the passenger seat that is affected

The issue is that sensors do not detect children due to weight



The recall covers Grand Vitras and SX4 small cars

A total of 193,936 cars will be recalled

Owners will be notified starting October

Japan's Suzuki Motor Co is recalling 193,936 Grand Vitara SUVs and SX4s cars because of a defective air bag sensor mat in the front passenger seat, U.S. officials said.

The recall covers Grand Vitaras from the 2006 through 2011 model years and the 2007 through 2011 SX4 small cars, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration letter acknowledging the recall.



Sensor mats measure passengers' weight and determine if the air bag should deploy.



Children can be hurt if the sensor cannot determine who is sitting in the seat.

Faulty: Suzuki's Grand Vitara - a five-seater SUV powered by a 2.0 litre 1955cc engine - will be recalled due to faulty sensors on the front seat

Air bag malfunction: The cars are being recalled because the air bag sensors do not deploy when children are sitting in the front passenger's seat

The letter said the sensor mat installed in the front passenger seat may fail because of repeated flexing. During a crash, the air bag will deploy regardless of whether the person is an adult or a child.

There have been no reports of accidents or injuries.



Suzuki will notify owners starting in October and dealers will replace mats for free, the letter said.

in 2011, Suzuki recalled 4,007 imported Grand Vitara vehicles in China due to a problem with a generator belt, according to China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.



In June, Chrysler agreed to recall some older-model Jeeps with fuel tanks that could burst and cause fires in rear-end collisions.

In June, Chrysler agreed to recall some older-model Jeeps with fuel tanks that could burst and cause fires in rear-end collisions

Last year Japan's Toyota Motor Corp announced a massive recall affecting 7.43 million vehicles worldwide

But the recall, which came in an 11th-hour deal between the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, covered only 1.56 million of the 2.7 million Jeeps that the government wanted repaired.



The rest are part of a ‘customer service action’ and many may not get fixed.

Last year Japan's Toyota Motor Corp announced a massive recall to fix malfunctioning power window switches which it said would affect 7.43 million vehicles worldwide in the biggest single recall since 1996.

The move came as Japan's biggest automaker tried to rebuild trust after a series of recalls between 2009 and 2011, in which it pulled back around 10 million vehicles.