Lotus Air Bags

Lotus is recalling about 240 vehicles over a problem with the air bags. The vehicle occupant may not properly understand the operation of the air bag system and the need to use seat belts.

Campaign
96V244000
Manufacturer
LOTUS CARS OF AMERICA INC
Reported
5 December 1996
Vehicles
240
Built between
Sep 1994 – Nov 1996
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
31 January 1997
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between September 1994 and November 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1995, 1997 Lotus EspritBuilt September 1994 to November 1996

What the defect is

Air bag and seat belt system warning labels are missing from the sun visor. This does not comply with FMVSS no. 108, "occupant crash protection."

What could happen

The vehicle occupant may not properly understand the operation of the air bag system and the need to use seat belts.

What gets fixed

OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH LABELS AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. IF THEY SO DESIRE, THEY CAN HAVE THEIR DEALERS INSTALL THESE LABELS FOR THEM.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtSeptember 1994 to November 1996
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA5 December 1996
  3. Owners notified31 January 1997

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 5 December 1996.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
LOTUS CARS OF AMERICA INC
Safety standard
FMVSS 208
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owner notification:owner notification will begin january 31, 1997.NOTE:OWNERS who do not receive the label and installation instructions within a reasonable time free of charge should contact lotus at 1-800-245-6887, ext. 405.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand