Ortovox Releases Safety Notice About Faulty Airbag Cartridge Adapter
Orotovox has released a safety notice about a faulty adapter that may cause certain AVABAG avalanche airbag compressed gas cylinders to lose pressure over time.
The notice pertains to certain AVABAG carbon cartridges produced between March 22, 2018 and September 30, 2019. These carbon cylinders are among those that can be identified by a dark blue adapter. Cartridges with a light blue or silver adapter are not affected. Cartridges sold in North America, which are aluminum rather than carbon, are not affected. However, while not legally certified for North America, some carbon cartridges are known to circulate there.
While there is no pressure gauge on the AVABAG Cartridge Carbon, consumers can can identify a faulty cartridge by weight. Orotovox suggests that a weight check should be performed before each use, and if the check shows no loss of pressure, then the cartridge can continue to be used without concern. Cartridges that exhibit a loss of pressure can be replaced by Ortovox dealers.
Here’s how to identify a faulty cartridge:
The safety notice from Ortovox can be found below. More information about the safety notice can be found on the Ortovox website.
– MS
Dear ORTOVOX customer,
We have unfortunately established that some ORTOVOX AVABAG CARTRIDGE CARBON models from a specific production period may lose pressure. The reason for this is a faulty cartridge adapter.
UNDER UNFAVORABLE CONDITIONS, THIS COULD IMPAIR THE ACTIVATION FORCE OF THE AVABAG AIRBAG SYSTEM.
Only cartridge adapters from one production series with dark blue adapters are affected. All other cartridge adapters (light blue and silver) are from a different production series and thus unaffected.
Loss of pressure can be reliably identified as part of the weight check that is essential before any use of the system.
To rule out any risk, we are sending a precautionary safety notice stressing that it is imperative to check the weight of the AVABAG CARTRIDGE CARBON before each use of the AVABAG airbag backpack. A detailed description of how to check the weight of a cartridge can be found in the instruction manual supplied with every AVABAG airbag backpack.
If the weight check shows that there is no pressure loss, the cartridge can continue to be used without concern. Cartridges demonstrating loss of pressure can be replaced at a specialist dealer.