A total of nine incidents, seven of which occurred in the United States, involving ruptured airbag inflators have been identified in the ongoing investigation of ARC conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). From these incidents, which took place between 2009 and March of this year, there have been seven reported injuries and two deaths.
ARC, taking steps to address the issue, installed instruments in January 2018 that detect excessive weld slag and other debris during the welding process. The company believes that the ruptures were the result of isolated manufacturing anomalies that were subsequently addressed by automakers through recalls.
The NHTSA spokesperson confirmed on June 15th that ARC’s response to the special order had been received and is currently undergoing processing to ensure personally identifiable information and confidential business information are protected. Once this is completed, a public version will be made available in the investigation file.
The agency had requested information from ARC regarding whether their airbag inflators are expected to occasionally rupture and their “best estimate” of the number of field ruptures that may occur due to manufacturing anomalies or other causes. Additionally, NHTSA sought further details on the 2001 licensing agreement with Delphi.
In its response, ARC stated that it did not design or manufacture its inflators with the expectation that some would experience field ruptures. However, the company acknowledges that even with the appropriate industry standards and efforts by manufacturers to minimize risks, manufacturing processes cannot completely eliminate the possibility of occasional or isolated failures.
Furthermore, ARC informed its customers, automakers, and NHTSA that there have been unexplained field ruptures. They also emphasized that the risk of manufacturing anomalies cannot be completely ruled out in any mass production process, as recognized in case law and understood by all manufacturers.
These inflators have been utilized in vehicles manufactured by at least 12 automakers. The NHTSA has not yet released a comprehensive list of all affected makes and models, nor have they provided an estimate of the number of vehicles that may be affected.
Since the commencement of the ARC investigation in 2015, automakers such as BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen have issued eight recalls to address potential safety defects associated with ARC airbag inflators.
Most recently, General Motors recalled nearly 1 million 2014-17 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia large crossovers equipped with the affected airbag inflators.
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Omprakash Tiwary is a business writer who delves into the intricacies of the corporate world. With a focus on finance and economic landscape. He offers readers valuable insights into market trends, entrepreneurship, and economic developments.
