Automakers Targeted by NHTSA Over Faulty Airbag Inflators

author: FutureCar Staff    

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Tuesday that it has made an initial decision to recall certain air bag inflators. These inflators were manufactured by ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive between 2000 and January 2018.

The NHTSA stated that when these inflators are commanded to deploy, they may rupture and release metal debris into the passenger compartment. Within the United States, these rupturing airbag inflators have caused injuries to at least seven people and resulted in one fatality. The NHTSA is also aware of two cases of rupture outside of the U.S.

The initial decision affects a total of 52 million inflators, including 41 million manufactured by ARC and nearly 11 million manufactured by Delphi under an agreement with ARC. These inflators have been incorporated into air bag modules of vehicles from 12 manufacturers, including BMW, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

In April of this year, the NHTSA requested ARC to initiate a recall for these inflators. However, ARC declined the request, stating that the agency lacks sufficient evidence of a safety defect. The NHTSA described the seven confirmed ruptures as "occasional or isolated failures that are an inevitable part of any volume manufacturing process."

Delphi Automotive, on the other hand, no longer exists as it was acquired by Autoliv. This raises questions about the legal liability for the inflators manufactured by Delphi.

The NHTSA will be holding a public meeting on October 5th at the Department of Transportation headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss the initial decision to enforce a recall.

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Photo by thieury on Shutterstock

FutureCar Staff