The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reaffirmed an earlier decision it made regarding safety concerns over an air bag inflator produced by Tennessee-based ARC Automotive Inc., the agency said on July 31. The decision paves the way for the potential recall of approximately 50 million units.
“Given the severity of a rupture and the known ruptures there is ample evidence of a defect in the subject inflators,” it said. “Common sense demands acknowledging that metal shrapnel projecting at high speeds and causing injury or death presents an unreasonable risk to safety, and the Safety Act does not allow for such a risk to remain unaddressed.”
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation launched a preliminary evaluation on July 13, 2015, focusing on alleged safety defects in the inflators designed by ARC and manufactured by both ARC and Delphi Automotive Systems LLC.
The evaluation was prompted by reports of air bag inflator ruptures in vehicles, specifically incidents involving a 2002 Chrysler Town & Country and a 2004 Kia Optima.
Throughout the investigation, NHTSA collected extensive data from ARC, Delphi, and various vehicle manufacturers. This included details on the design and manufacturing processes, testing procedures, and reports of air bag deployments and complaints, according to the agency’s letter.
The inflators in question were identified as utilizing a friction welding process that in some cases resulted in overpressurization and rupture due to excessive weld flash or insufficient weld bonds.
On Sept. 5, 2023, NHTSA issued an initial decision identifying a defect in the subject inflators, which was confirmed in a supplemental initial decision on July 31, 2024.
The agency clarified that the inflators, manufactured from 2000 until the full implementation of automated borescope inspections in June 2018, contained a defect related to motor vehicle safety.
NHTSA’s decision was driven by evidence of at least seven confirmed ruptures in the United States, resulting in one death and multiple injuries, as well as additional ruptures during lot acceptance testing.
The investigation linked these ruptures to the friction welding process used in manufacturing the inflators across various plants and lines operated by ARC and Delphi.
Following the initial decision, NHTSA solicited public comments and held a public meeting on Oct. 5, 2023, to discuss the findings.
Comments from manufacturers, safety advocates, and affected individuals were considered in the supplemental decision issued this week, according to the notice. ARC, in its response to the agency’s recall request, described the incidents as isolated manufacturing anomalies and argued against a broader recall.
Despite the company’s objections, NHTSA maintained in the supplemental decision that the evidence demonstrated a systemic issue with the product.
The agency noted that ruptures had occurred across different production lots, time frames, and manufacturing facilities, underscoring the pervasive nature of the defect.
NHTS said it would provide an additional 30-day comment period, but that no additional public meeting would be held.
ARC Automotive did not respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times on the agency’s reaffirmation of its earlier decision.
