The U.S. Government Takes Strong Action to Address Dangerous Air Bag Inflators
In a major development, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has determined that ARC Automotive Inc., a Tennessee-based company, must recall a staggering 52 million air bag inflators due to serious safety concerns. These inflators, manufactured by ARC Automotive Inc. and produced under license by another company, have been deemed defective.
NHTSA has scheduled a public hearing for October 5th, a necessary step before pursuing a court-ordered recall. This decision comes after the agency previously requested a recall in May and ARC Automotive Inc. refused to comply, sparking the potential for a legal battle.
ARC Automotive Inc. has consistently denied the existence of any safety defects and argues that NHTSA’s demand is based on a hypothesis rather than concrete technical conclusions. The company also asserts that the agency lacks the authority to mandate recalls for auto parts manufacturers.
NHTSA’s determination highlights the risk posed by these air bag inflators, which have the potential to rupture and propel metal debris into the vehicle’s passenger compartment during air bag deployment. This poses an unreasonable danger of serious injury or death to occupants.
The affected inflators are installed in the driver and passenger front air bags of vehicles produced by multiple automakers. While a comprehensive list of affected vehicle models has not yet been disclosed, it is estimated that approximately 25 million out of the 284 million vehicles on U.S. roads may contain these dangerous inflators.
Owners of various vehicle brands, including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Ford, Toyota, Stellantis, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Hyundai, and Kia, are left apprehensive about whether their vehicles are equipped with inflators from ARC Automotive Inc.
It is worth noting that automakers have previously conducted seven smaller recalls related to isolated manufacturing issues with these inflators since 2017, including a recall announced by General Motors in May that affected nearly 1 million vehicles.
NHTSA initially estimated that around 67 million inflators were subject to recall. However, this number was revised to 52 million based on further investigations and manufacturer responses.
NHTSA’s investigation has revealed that welding byproducts during manufacturing can obstruct a vent within the inflator canister, preventing the rapid escape of gas to fill the air bags in a collision. As pressure builds within the defective inflators, the canister is at risk of rupturing.
It’s important to note that the inflators subject to recall were produced prior to 2018. After implementing additional measures such as installing scopes to monitor welding byproducts and the vents, no explosions involving inflators manufactured after this date have been reported.
Despite being acquired by Chinese real estate developer Yinyi Group in 2016, ARC Automotive Inc. cannot guarantee that their inflators won’t rupture in the future.
ARC Automotive Inc. argues that occasional or isolated failures cannot be entirely eliminated from manufacturing processes, emphasizing that the federal motor vehicle safety act aims to protect the public against unreasonable risks rather than ensure zero failures.
The company asserts that during NHTSA’s extensive eight-year investigation, any unexplained ruptures related to these inflators have been promptly reported to air bag manufacturers, automakers, and the government.
NHTSA reports a total of seven ruptures in the United States and at least two outside of the country involving ARC inflators. A rupture occurred as recently as March 22nd, and explosions have been documented in inflators that were not part of previous recalls.
NHTSA highlights the severity of the situation, emphasizing that inflators explosively rupturing and propelling metal fragments into occupied passenger compartments cannot be dismissed as mere manufacturing anomalies, and vehicle owners should not bear the uncommunicated risks they face.
One tragic example is the case of Marlene Beaudoin, a 40-year-old mother of 10 from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Marlene lost her life when an ARC inflator exploded during a minor car crash in 2021, showering her with metal fragments. Her four sons, who were with her at the time, thankfully escaped unharmed.
In response to NHTSA’s findings, Steve Polich, a Michigan attorney representing the Beaudoin family in a lawsuit against ARC Automotive Inc., General Motors, and air bag assembly maker Toyoda Gosei, is encouraged that the agency’s determination supports their case.
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