A TERRIFIED Halesowen mother fears she is driving a “time bomb” after the side airbag in her Renault Clio exploded ripping the passenger seat apart.

Just an hour earlier Lisa Gardener’s 11-year-old daughter, Abbie, was sitting in the front seat on her way to school.

Mrs Gardener, who was driving along Hagley Road at the time, said: “It was like a bomb going off and the car filled with a sort of sulphury powdery stuff.

“I screamed but managed to pull over – God forbid if I had swerved and hit another vehicle, or been on a motorway, someone could have been killed.

“And if my daughter had been in the car she would have been seriously injured.”

The 46-year-old single mum, of Alma Street, and her father, John Hitchman, were “staggered” when Renault found impact evidence, claiming a wheel was damaged, and deny there was a fault with the airbag.

Mrs Gardener, who bought the 11-year-old car 18 months ago, said: “There was no impact at the time and I can honestly say I have not hit anything since I bought the car.”

Outraged Mr Hitchman, also from Halesowen, who has now written to two directors of the French-based company, said Renault UK’s customer relations department told him the impact could have happened before his daughter bought the car and the airbag had finally exploded.

“If that is true, then there must be thousands of Renault owners driving around in a time-bomb,” he said.

The passenger seat was wrecked and the seatbelt casing was shattered, causing damage estimated at £1,000.

Mr Hitchman, aged 72, of Haswell Road, fears insurers would write the car off and his daughter, employed as an assistant finance administrator, would not be paid out enough to buy another car.

He said the AA mechanic, who was called out, reported no reason for the airbag exploding and found no other damage.

Mr Hitchman said there was no visible damage to the wheel, as claimed by Renault.

“The way we have been treated is scandalous. It can’t be right that airbags can explode at any time because of a previous impact.

“Somebody could have been killed and all we want is for Renault to take responsibility,” he said, adding:

“I feel that once again the little customer is been down-trodden by the big company who are giving us, the customer, a very raw deal.”

Nobody from Renault UK was available for comment.