This conclusion was reached by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Airbags supplied to automakers by ARC and Delphi are potentially explosive, according to a new NHTSA report. The agency estimates that more than 52 million cars of 12 brands equipped with explosive airbags are driving on the roads. If the NHTSA insists on a recall, it will be the largest recall since the Takata scandal.
The NHTSA believes that ARC and Delphi products are unsafe for the reason that during manufacture, industrial debris can get into the airbag structural elements – because of it, during the opening of the airbag, the squib explodes, and metal fragments injure the driver and passengers. A similar problem was with the pillows of the Japanese company Takata.
ARC and Delphi airbags have been installed on BMW, Ford, Fiat and Chrysler, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen models for many years. An investigation into exploding airbags has been ongoing since 2016, and in April 2023, the NHTSA sent a letter to ARC asking them to initiate a vehicle recall due to potentially defective airbags, but the firm refused.
The agency is aware of at least seven pillows affected by the explosion: they were manufactured at different times at four different enterprises, installed and shipped by four suppliers to four automakers – Kia, Chrysler, Hyundai and Volkswagen. The first incident dates back to 2009, and the last occurred in March 2023.
Explosive pillows were installed on cars of the listed brands from 2000 to 2018. During this time, ARC produced 41 million airbags and Delphi 11 million.
In May of this year, the discovered problem has already caused the recall of almost 1 million Buick, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles. The NHTSA believes that this is just the beginning, and it is necessary to recall at least 51 million more vehicles for inspection and repair. Public discussion of this problem will take place in October.
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