‘All of a sudden, bam!’: Driver says air bags went off without crash

CHARLOTTE — Brittany Davis says her son was driving a 2010 Mazda to work.

“All of a sudden, bam, the side air bags on both sides, driver and passenger, went off,” she said.

She says he veered off-road.

“I’m lucky my son didn’t get hurt. He walked away,” she told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke.

But the car does need some work.

If the car were newer and still under warranty, Davis would expect Mazda to pay for repairs. But the car is about 14 years old, and out of warranty. That said, she thought the company may still pick up the tab because it was such an odd thing to go wrong.

“You don’t do maintenance on air bags on any vehicle,” she said.

She told Stoogenke it looks like the answer is no.

“Nobody’s willing to help us at this point; my son really worked hard to get this vehicle,” she said. “Single-parent home and now he’s left without a vehicle so that’s another hindrance we’ve got to figure out.”

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Stoogenke reached out to Mazda, but it didn’t respond in time for this report.

If your car is out of warranty and needs repairs:

Assume you have to pay out of pocket even if it’s an unusual problem, like the airbags.
You can always ask the manufacturer to foot the bill, like Davis did. It’s worth a try, but don’t get your hopes up.
Insurance doesn’t usually cover repairs either.
You may want to consider buying one of those auto warranties you probably get calls or mail about. Technically, they aren’t warranties at all. They’re service plans. But this may be a time you want one of them. Most cost about $100-150 per month and have a lot of fine print. So just make sure it’s worth it before you buy and watch out for scams.

What to know about auto warranty scams:

The FCC says:

Steps you can take to protect yourself

First, do not provide any personal information, such as a social security number, credit card information, driver’s license number or bank account information to any caller unless you can verify you are dealing directly with a legitimate company with which you have an established business relationship. Telephone scammers are good at what they do and may imply that they work for a company you trust. Don’t fall for it. Be extremely cautious.

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If you have caller ID you can screen incoming calls. Legitimate telemarketers are required to transmit or display their phone number and the name and/or the phone number of the company they’re representing. The display must include a phone number that you can call during regular business hours to ask that the company no longer call you.

You should be cautious even if a number appears authentic. Criminals may engage in caller ID “spoofing” – deliberately falsifying the information transmitted to your Caller ID display to disguise their identity. (See our consumer guide on Caller ID Spoofing.) Avoid answering any calls you suspect may be spoofed.

PNC Bank says

Ways to Avoid Car Warranty Scams

Scammers typically push people to take immediate action so they don’t have time to check legitimacy or reconsider. Others may even use threats to get you to believe what they are saying and demand a fee before supplying more information about the warranty. If they focus on getting your personal information, it’s likely a scam.

Another way to identify a scammer is to ask specific questions about the warranty. If they can’t provide detailed information, that’s another red flag. With these things in mind, here are some tips to protect yourself from car warranty scams.

Do Not Answer the Call

Never answer a call from an area code you don’t recognize or from new numbers. If you receive an unsolicited call from a potential scammer, hang up and block the number.

Answering such calls might lead to more scam calls in the future since scammers may retarget people who have previously answered. For automated calls asking you to press a number to talk with a representative, hang up the call immediately.

Never Give Out Personal Information

You should never give a random caller your credit card number, banking information or other personal details. Ask the caller to provide a written copy of their policy so you can consider it. A legitimate company doesn’t push you to make a hasty decision.

(WATCH: ‘It’s so infuriating’: Be careful of car warranty mailings, not just calls)