Verified government source

NHTSA complaint #11502536

This page summarizes an official U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration owner complaint. Use the verification links below to confirm the record directly with NHTSA.

Vehicle

2019 BUICK ENCLAVE

Manufacturer

General Motors, LLC

Components

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEATS

Dates

Incident: 01/07/2023
Filed: 01/19/2023

Owner complaint summary

The passenger side seat air bag exploded and burned my daughter’s back while she was getting into the car. The car was in park and auto started. My son was sitting in the back seat behind her while this happened. She has 1st and 2nd degree burns and thankfully my son is okay. The car has been sitting in my driveway since that day. I have contacted the dealership and GM as well as my personal insurance. GM is moving very slow and stated they would send someone to look at my vehicle within 7-10 days from yesterday . The investigation could take 30-60 days before we have an answer. We are currently on day 11 since this happened. Insurance doesn’t want to touch it until GM or the dealership looks at it and determines if it is a malfunction. The safety of my kids and family is definitely a priority and the fact that this happened is scary. The loudness of the explosion was like a gunshot inside the vehicle and the fire that came out of it is insane. Literally looked like a firework. With the airbag deployed I am sure the seatbelts are now compromised but either way I will not risk my life or anyone else’s and step foot in it. The car was looked at by local law enforcement and pictures were taken. The car is available for inspection but the dealership hasn’t called me back and GM is following their protocol and has no hurry. The airbag light had come on the week prior to this happening and had gone back off. I also had the tire pressure lights go on and back off twice in the past couple of months.

Fire reported1 injuries reported
This is an owner complaint filed with NHTSA (ODI #11502536). It is not automatically an official recall, investigation outcome, or manufacturer admission unless the complaint text itself describes one.

Official record ID (ODI): 11502536. This page is the human-readable source link used across afterwarranty. The raw JSON link proxies NHTSA's public API for machine verification; prefer this page when reading the complaint.