Airbag deaths and injuries force recall of 34 million vehicles in the US.
Eleven car makers are recalling vehicles fitted with airbags manufactured byTakata Corp following six deaths in Honda vehicles and more than 100 injuries. It has been revealed that the airbag inflators were not properly sealed and could be damaged by moisture. It is alleged the airbags can burst under pressure, spraying shrapnel inside the car.
Airbags use explosive compounds as propellants to inflate the device in an impact. The company had been using ammonium nitrate which appears to be a factor in the ruptures. When degraded, the compound can ignite with too much force in a crash and cause the metal inflator canister to split. Typically the manufacturing process incorporates a desiccant, a chemical additive that absorbs moisture and can increase an inflator’s useful age. However, this appears to have been missing in the recalled vehicles.
Takata is now transitioning to a chemical containing guanidine nitrate which is used by competitors such as TRW and Autoliv, although it will also continue to use ammonium nitrate which the company claims is safe when properly manufactured and engineered.
Meanwhile 400,000 of the replaced Takata airbags are subject to further recall due to a potentially defective propellant component. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that the company and carmakers will need to “demonstrate... that the remedy parts are safe for the life of the vehicle.”
Honda is targetting salvage yards and auto recyclers to try to ensure that none of the faulty airbags end up back on the road. US Federal regulations about the prohibition of the sale of defective used auto parts are largely unenforceable. In a Detroit-area salvage yard, for example, $27.99 could buy an undeployed driver-side or passenger-side air bag if it can be detached from the scrapped vehicle.
Previously announced recalls have hit Takata's bottom line. The company has seen a 5bn yen ($41m) extraordinary loss for the fiscal fourth quarter.