2023-09-08 08:04:21
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to recall 52 million air bag inflators following discovering they can rupture, sending shrapnel flying and causing injuries.
In the United States it has already killed one person and injured seven others, and the agency said there might be more if the inflators are not removed from the market or replaced.
The air bag inflators were manufactured by ARC Automotive Inc. and Delphi Automotive Systems until January 2018, according to the agency.
As the airbags continued to rupture, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation requested in April 2023 that ARC Automotive initiate a recall.
But ARC Automotive argued that the agency lacked “sufficient evidence” that there was a safety defect and that the seven confirmed breaks that caused injuries were “occasional or isolated failures that are an inevitable part of any volume manufacturing process.”
Delphi Automotive Systems has since been purchased by Autoliv ASP, Inc., who may not be responsible for inflators manufactured prior to its acquisition.
NHTSA has not verified whose legal responsibility would be, but it might fall on vehicle manufacturers that used the inflators as part of their original equipment.
According to the agency’s investigation, welding slag is likely the cause of the breaks. When welding slag breaks off, it can block the outlet port of the inflator when the airbag deploys, causing the inflator to rupture due to overpressurization.
It has the potential to propel shrapnel or metal fragments from the inflator into the passenger compartment.
NHTSA will hold a public meeting on the proposed recall on October 5.
The affected manufacturers
Airbag inflators were fitted to vehicles from the following 12 manufacturers:
BMW of North America, LLC
FCA US LLC
Ford
General Motors LLC
Hyundai Motor America, Inc.
Kia America, Inc.
Maserati North America, Inc.
Mercedes-Benz EU LLC
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
Tesla Inc.
Toyota Motor Norteamérica, Inc.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Fountain; USA Today
1694396265
#Twelve #automakers #affected #massive #recall #defective #air #bags #Takata
