SGI apologizes to Sask. couple for refusing to cover airbag claim

Saskatchewan Government Insurance has apologized to a couple for refusing to pay for damages to their vehicle caused by an airbag. 

• Couple waits for airbag repair costs after crash leaves Toyota without exterior damage

Barb and Neil MacNaughton, who are from the North Battleford, Sask. area, spoke out on Tuesday about their frustrations with Toyota Canada and SGI. 

Both the car manufacturer and the provincial insurer were refusing to pay for damages caused by an airbag that deployed inside their Toyota Sequoia.

The airbags were activated when Barb lost control of the vehicle while passing a semi-trailer in snowy conditions on Highway 16 near Radisson, Sask., on Jan. 27. 

The vehicle exterior was unharmed but the damages to the interior of the SUV were estimated at about $9,000.

SGI told the couple it would not pay for repairs because the "damages to your vehicle were the result of a mechanical breakdown."

But Toyota also refused to cover the damages, saying no mechanical failure occurred. 

SGI apologizes

On Thursday, SGI reversed its decision not to cover the claim. 

"In most cases when airbags deploy and there is no collision damage to the exterior of the vehicle, the deployment is due to over-sensitive sensors," said SGI in an emailed statement.

"This case was more complicated than that and we should have investigated the situation more thoroughly." 

The insurer said it was still investigating the claim and apologized to the MacNaughtons. 

"We're also going to improve our process around inadvertent airbag deployments going forward to ensure this doesn't happen again," it said.