US: 52 million airbag inflators should be recalled over rupture threat, say auto regulators

Auto safety regulators in the United States said on Tuesday (September 5) that 52 million airbag inflators produced by ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive should be recalled as they might rupture and send dangerous metal fragments flying. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said airbag inflators that rupture when commanded to deploy were defective as they both failed to protect vehicle occupants as they should and, posean unreasonable risk of serious injury or death on their own.

The NHTSA first demanded a voluntary recall in May, but ARC rejected it. The agency issued an initial decision on Tuesday and set a public meeting on October 5 in a rare move to compel a recall.

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In which vehicles have the airbag inflators been used?

As per the Reuters report, the inflators that the NHTSA is seeking to recall have been used in vehicles from the year 2000 till early 2018 produced by 12 automakers including General Motors, Ford, Tesla, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen.

Initially, the NHTSA said that 67 million airbag inflators were unsafe. But on Tuesday, it adjusted this estimate to account for "over-inclusive responses reported to the agency by certain manufacturers over the course of the investigation."

If the recall is successful, the callback would be one of the largest on record, Reuters reported.

In May, the ARC rejected the NHTSA's conclusion that there was a defect. The agency, meanwhile, said that ARC in January 2018 completed the installation of devices on inflator manufacturing lines used to detect excesses of a hardened byproduct of welding known as weld slag, or other debris.

The NHTSA added that it was unaware of issues in ARC inflators produced since the installation of the devices. NHTSA said it "believes that the evidence does identify a likely cause" and added that ARC's argument on not finding a root cause "is not a reason for delaying a recall."

The agency pointed out that it was aware of seven confirmed inflator ruptures in the United States in the vehicles it seeks to have recalled, including seven injuries and one death.

(With inputs from agencies)

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