The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced it will force a significant recall affecting 51 million airbag inflators in over 49 million vehicles on American roads. This recall is nearly as extensive as the infamous Takata airbag recall, which has involved more than 67 million vehicles over the past decade.
Similar Issue, Different Manufacturer
Unlike the Takata recall, these airbag inflators were manufactured by ARC Automotive, a Tennessee-based company. These inflators are used by at least 13 major vehicle manufacturers, including BMW, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen.
The NHTSA has not yet specified which vehicles will require repairs, but the announcement indicates that recalls are imminent. Some automakers, such as General Motors, have already begun replacing these inflators. Last year, GM proactively replaced ARC Automotive inflators in about 1 million SUVs.
The Risk: Explosive Inflators
Airbag inflators are designed to deploy airbags rapidly in the event of a collision, protecting the driver and passengers in the vehicle. However, the NHTSA has found that some ARC Automotive inflators have a manufacturing defect where a nozzle can become blocked by debris from the welding process. This blockage prevents the gas from escaping properly, potentially causing the inflator’s metal shell to explode and send hot metal fragments into the vehicle’s cabin, posing a serious risk of injury or death to everyone in the vehicle.
The NHTSA has reported that in the United States that at least seven people have been injured, and one person has been killed by these defective inflators.
NHTSA’s Enforcement Action
Last summer, the NHTSA requested ARC Automotive to voluntarily recall the defective parts, but the company declined, disputing the agency’s findings. Now, the NHTSA has given ARC Automotive 30 days to respond to the recall order. Under federal law, the company can present evidence to argue that the inflators are not defective or do not pose a safety risk.
Given the extensive investigation already conducted by the NHTSA, it is unlikely that ARC Automotive will provide new data that changes the agency’s stance. If ARC Automotive fails to present compelling new evidence, the NHTSA says it “will order ARC to comply with the obligation to file notice of the safety defect with the agency and will order the vehicle manufacturers to carry out recalls by providing notice and a free remedy” next month.
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