Wonder when the 1LE pops it air bags if GM will cover it

[bannonm]

Originally Posted by Synner

Autocross would be more likely to set it off versus a road course. Its the rapid and violent changes in direction that should cause it. The amount of tire it has leads me to believe its certainly possible stock under the right conditions.

Have you never raced your car on a track? I run on European style tracks so they consist of a lot of shorter straights and lots of curves. You go balls out in the straights and brake hard short of locking them up before the turns. That's what got me I believe. I was probably 90+mph before the curve, hit the apex around 50 and WOT when she blew. The rapid deceleration combined with a fast turn probably made the sensor go nuts. But if you want to be competitive it's the way you need to drive. I attended two driving schools this year and my driving style is based on what I was taught. I have produced better times that most of the Mustangs, Z06s, and a ZL1 that I've gone up against.

I have never smoked my tires or slid my car around on the track like that guy did it the video. That wasn't autocross, that was stupid.

[bannonm]

Originally Posted by 2010SS2SS

1st Mistake was admitting to being at the track. Should have towed it home cleaned off the grass and called your insurance company...
It would be a safe bet that the sensitivity levels are set differently on ZL-1s and 1LE's

Wasn't going to lie. Onstar knew exactly where I was at. And fact is your insurance won't pay out if there was no visible damage, ie. you didn't get into an accident or hit something. They'll say it's GM's problem or your bad driving caused it, and then GM will say exactly what they said to me. I know this to be the case because that's what happened to the guy at the dealership before me with a Suburban. He lied and said he hit a pothole at 40. Computer said he was doing over 70, and didn't happen like he said. His insurance refused to pay the $8K to fix it.

A safe bet? For $4K I wouldn't be willing to take that bet. I would want GM to state it in writing that driving the 1LE or ZL1 in this manner on a track won't cause air bags to go off. But I'll make you a bet they will never say that.

[Synner]

Originally Posted by bannonm

Have you never raced your car on a track?

Plenty. And as far as I know its the rapid left/right transitions that cause the issue. I haven't heard of hard braking and a turn causing issues before until you. I'm very smooth on road courses and wouldn't call any turns violent. Controlled and smooth is faster. Autocross is more violent in its transitions if its a tight setup and not designed for the old corvette guys. LOL.

[toehead93]

I would look into the warranty clsim further. Law states the dealer has to uphold e warranty uless they can prove you caused the failure.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration dtRted an investigation of Jeep Liberty SUVs built between 2002 and 2003 for an issue regarding the premature deployment of airbags. NHTSA said that they've received 7 complaints regarding airbags deploying without a crash, with 5 of these incidents having caused injuries. 387,356 vehicles are said to be affected by the issue.

After searching this issue it is not an isolated incident. I would contact NHTSA.

[FINALLYSATISFIED]

Originally Posted by bannonm

No, already went this route with GM Customer Service. They are covering their asses and divulging nothing of what caused it. They have an engineering report on the data gathered from the car, but refuse to let me see it unless I subpoena it. Their standard answer is the car thought a rollover was eminent and the air bags deployed. I'm sure if I got a lawyer and spend $$$ I might get an answer. But the end result would likely still be a refusal to pay up. So cutting my losses and paying for it myself



I stopped by the dealer today to get the ball rolling on repair. I asked the service rep if there is a way to disable the system while using the car on the track. He talked with the Corvette expert who also works on the Camaros and told me there is. Of course, it will be unofficial and he'll deny they ever said anything. Obviously they are not going to tell people how to do this and have some idiot drive on the street with it disabled and get into an accident.

My whole point in starting this thread is to warn you guys about driving the Camaro on the track. While GM may be advertising the 1LE as a track car, the definition of what a track car is in their eyes needs to be clarified. I know how aggressive I drive and how aggressive the Ford guys I drove with are. They don't seem to have any problems. It's not like I was drifting my car or hit something, or went off the track when this happened. I learned a lesson the hard way and that's the Camaro SS is not a track car for even occasional road course. The air bag system on the Camaro is like running a foot race with a rope tied around your ankles. If you run too fast, you're gonna trip.

I don't think I agree on GM not covering it under warranty. Airbags deploying to a non-crash situation sounds a bit odd to me.

[Cuda7050]

Originally Posted by 2010SS2SS

1st Mistake was admitting to being at the track. Should have towed it home cleaned off the grass and called your insurance company...
It would be a safe bet that the sensitivity levels are set differently on ZL-1s and 1LE's

A guy tried that lie after totalling his new Z06 at our local drag strip. Said he wrecked on a road near his house. Initially, insurance paid out. After further investigation the invetigator used Onstar to determine the wreck was at the drag strip. He was later convicted of insurance fraud and went to prison.

[Cuda7050]

Hey Bannonm, you have a beautiful car. What tires and suspension set up were you using to create so many G's in the corner?

[bannonm]

Originally Posted by Cuda7050

Hey Bannonm, you have a beautiful car. What tires and suspension set up were you using to create so many G's in the corner?

Thanks. I have Pedders XAs and front control arm bushings, Pfadt solid subframe bushings, rear control arms, racing sways. For the wheels I run TSW Nurburgrings 20x10 with Michellin Pilot Super Sports in a 285/35-20 all around. The tires/wheels were the last mod and made even more of an improvement in handling. Also between the shorter tires and coilovers, I'm almost 1-1/2" lower than stock.

[L99CAMA2011]

I think if this happens then just go b%$%lls to the wall and gut the SS including airbags and roll cage here we come. Honestly Roll cages offer better protection anyway. Nice to hear you ate some Z06s, stangs and other cars on track so then maybe it is worth it to make this your somewhat all out track car and screw the air bag replacement. I still find it amazing that many autocrossers didn't have this issue especially the guy form TORQ who drives his car very hard.

[L99CAMA2011]

Originally Posted by Cuda7050

A guy tried that lie after totalling his new Z06 at our local drag strip. Said he wrecked on a road near his house. Initially, insurance paid out. After further investigation the invetigator used Onstar to determine the wreck was at the drag strip. He was later convicted of insurance fraud and went to prison.

Note to all do not lie about your accidental loss when owning a GM car with onstar you will loose.

[Sonoma]

OP, thanks for the heads up. Just paid off my 2010 SS loan and was considering auto-crossing with the Porsche folks at work. Would never hear the end of it if the same thing happened to me. Will do more research before considering a day at the track. Good luck to you on the repairs!

BTW, I replied to one of your other posts on this same topic where I found interesting similarities with two drifting Camaro videos and the actions that led right up to the POP! I am not suggesting this is what happened in your case, but I put it out there for folks to take heed; particularly drifters.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254445

[Pro Stock John]

Just wanted to say I find this thread very interesting and I appreciate OP putting this info out there.

Your insurance though would not cover it, did you try or were not interested? Some national insurance carriers won't cover damage incurred during timed events.

I've seen a number of Camaro and to a lesser extent CTS-V vids of cars having air bags going off while auto-crossing.

[Russo]

so there is a "competition" mode in the ZL1 and 1LE? why wouldn't that mode disable the airbags?

[Jim968]

Originally Posted by Russo

so there is a "competition" mode in the ZL1 and 1LE? why wouldn't that mode disable the airbags?

I don't think the GM lawyers would ever allow that. Best case is that GM realizes that the sensors on the earlier C5 models are too sensative and fixes them in the newer models. Otherwise it is up to owners to figure out how to disable the bags themselves.