Worldwide, NHTSA reports that there have been at least 27 deaths. To date, there have been 19 deaths and more than 400 injuries because this problem in the U.S. As postulated early on, environmental moisture, high temperatures, and age as associated with the defect that can improperly inflate the airbags and even send shrapnel into the occupant. NHTSA has determined the root cause of the problem: airbags that use ammonium-nitrate-based propellant without a chemical drying agent. If the inflator housing ruptures in a crash, metal shards from the airbag can be sprayed throughout the passenger cabin-a potentially disastrous outcome from a supposedly lifesaving device. Some of those airbags could deploy explosively, injuring or even killing car occupants.Īt the heart of the problem is the airbag’s inflator, a metal cartridge loaded with propellant wafers, which in some cases has ignited with explosive force. history.” The airbags, made by major parts supplier Takata, were installed in cars mostly from model years 2002 through 2015. Vehicles made by 19 different automakers have been recalled to replace frontal airbags on the driver’s side or passenger’s side, or both in what NHTSA has called “the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S.
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