According to a media report, American regulators have announced that 52 million airbags manufactured by ARC and Delphi should be recalled. As per reports, the final decision on the recall will be reached after a soon-to-be-held public meeting.<\/p>\n
As per a report, the recall includes all vehicles equipped with ARC-designed airbags produced between 2000 & 2018. These airbags allegedly have a manufacturing defect as per the National Highway Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA). The agency states that the expansion of the airbag in case of an accident, also causes the excess welding slag to be blown off the inflator and onto the vehicle occupants – increasing the risk of grevious injury. NHTSA is said to have recommended a recall earlier, but ARC declined, claiming that the incident was so infrequent that it “did not support a finding that a defect exists”.<\/p>\n
NHTSA countered by stating, “Airbag inflators that rupture when commanded to deploy are plainly defective, as they both fail to protect vehicle occupants as they should and, themselves, pose an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death.”<\/p>\n
While ARC resisted a recall, at least four auto manufacturers for which it made airbags (as well as Delphi) have recalled their vehicles. This includes General Motors, which in May, agreed to fix nearly 1 million vehicles over the use of the airbag.<\/p>\n
The report states that apart from GM, 11 other car brands also use these airbags in their vehicles. This includes Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Porsche, Stellantis, Toyota & Volkswagen.<\/p>\n
NHTSA initially reported 67 million airbags to recall. However, the agency clarified that some automakers over-reported their numbers and that just 52 million airbags were in use, which should be recalled.<\/p>\n
ARC and other interested parties will be offered an opportunity to present their cases before the NHTSA decides on whether or not a recall should be announced. The public hearing will be held on October 5th, 2023.<\/p>\n