ARTICLE
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published a recall request letter sent to ARC Automotive, Inc. (ARC) demanding that ARC issue a recall on 67 million air bag inflators manufactured prior to 2018. NHTSA’s recall request was the result of an eight-year investigation into whether ARC airbag inflators were prone to rupturing during a deployment. NHTSA believes that ARC airbag inflators are subject to a significant number of failures in normal operation due to blockages in the exit orifice, which cause over pressurization of the air bag inflator. This over pressurization has the potential to cause the air bag inflator to rupture “resulting in metal fragments being forcefully propelled into the passenger compartment.” In NHTSA’s letter, NHTSA identified nine examples of ARC air bag inflators rupturing and causing injury and or death. ARC is a Tier 2 supplier that sells air bag inflators to Tier 1 manufacturers that produce air bag modules. The 67 million air bag inflators manufactured by ARC prior to 2018 that are subject to NHTSA’s recall request are driver and passenger frontal air bags. ARC air bag inflators have been supplied to approximately six Tier 1 air bag system manufacturers and have also been manufactured by Delphi (acquired by Autoliv). At least 12 vehicle manufacturers have used the ARC airbag inflators identified in NHTSA’s recall request including, General Motors, LLC (GM), BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen. To see NHTSA’s recall request letter click here. In its response to NHTSA’s recall request letter, ARC stated that it, “strongly disagrees with the Agency’s [NHTSA’s] ‘tentative conclusion’ that a safety defect exists in the 67 million toroidal driver and passenger inflators produced during the 18-year period prior to January 208.” ARC also stated that, “the Agency’s [NHTSA’s] current position is not based upon any objective technical or engineering conclusion regarding the existence of a defect, but rather conclusory statements…” Despite ARC’s objections to NHTSA’s request for a recall, GM has already decided to recall air bags containing the affected ARC air bag inflators in 1,000,000 vehicles in the United States and has just announced a recall of 42,000 vehicles in Canada. The vehicles identified in GM’s safety recall report to NHTSA are as follows: (1) 2014 – 2017 Buick Enclave; (2) 2014 – 2017 Chevrolet Traverse; (3) 2014 – 2017 GMC Acadia. For a link to ARC’s letter click here. For a link to GM’s Safety Recall Report click here.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published a recall request letter sent to ARC Automotive, Inc. (ARC) demanding that ARC issue a recall on 67 million air bag inflators manufactured prior to 2018. NHTSA’s recall request was the result of an eight-year investigation into whether ARC airbag inflators were prone to rupturing during a deployment. NHTSA believes that ARC airbag inflators are subject to a significant number of failures in normal operation due to blockages in the exit orifice, which cause over pressurization of the air bag inflator. This over pressurization has the potential to cause the air bag inflator to rupture “resulting in metal fragments being forcefully propelled into the passenger compartment.” In NHTSA’s letter, NHTSA identified nine examples of ARC air bag inflators rupturing and causing injury and or death.
ARC is a Tier 2 supplier that sells air bag inflators to Tier 1 manufacturers that produce air bag modules. The 67 million air bag inflators manufactured by ARC prior to 2018 that are subject to NHTSA’s recall request are driver and passenger frontal air bags. ARC air bag inflators have been supplied to approximately six Tier 1 air bag system manufacturers and have also been manufactured by Delphi (acquired by Autoliv). At least 12 vehicle manufacturers have used the ARC airbag inflators identified in NHTSA’s recall request including, General Motors, LLC (GM), BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen. To see NHTSA’s recall request letter click here.
In its response to NHTSA’s recall request letter, ARC stated that it, “strongly disagrees with the Agency’s [NHTSA’s] ‘tentative conclusion’ that a safety defect exists in the 67 million toroidal driver and passenger inflators produced during the 18-year period prior to January 208.” ARC also stated that, “the Agency’s [NHTSA’s] current position is not based upon any objective technical or engineering conclusion regarding the existence of a defect, but rather conclusory statements…” Despite ARC’s objections to NHTSA’s request for a recall, GM has already decided to recall air bags containing the affected ARC air bag inflators in 1,000,000 vehicles in the United States and has just announced a recall of 42,000 vehicles in Canada. The vehicles identified in GM’s safety recall report to NHTSA are as follows: (1) 2014 – 2017 Buick Enclave; (2) 2014 – 2017 Chevrolet Traverse; (3) 2014 – 2017 GMC Acadia. For a link to ARC’s letter click here. For a link to GM’s Safety Recall Report click here.