U.S. Warns 50 Million Air Bag Inflators Are Dangerous; Massive Recall Looms

US auto safety regulators reaffirmed their stance that more than 50 million air bag inflators are dangerous and should be recalled, Tom Krisher reported for the Associated Press (AP).

NHTSA said seven inflators have exploded in the field in the US, each showing signs of insufficient welds or excessive pressure in the canister designed to contain the explosion and fill the airbags in a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) decision on Wednesday involves inflators made by ARC Automotive Inc. in Tennessee and Delphi, a parts manufacturer that had licensed the technology.

ARC was acquired in 2016 by China's Yinyi Group.

The inflators in approximately 49 million vehicles from 13 manufacturers can explode and hurl shrapnel into drivers and passengers. The agency has linked the inflators to at least seven injuries and two deaths in the US and Canada since 2009.

NHTSA said seven inflators have exploded in the field in the US, each showing signs of insufficient welds or excessive pressure in the canister designed to contain the explosion and fill the airbags in a crash.

Additionally, 23 inflators ruptured during testing, with causes similar to those that exploded in the field. Four inflators have ruptured outside the US, causing at least one fatality, the agency reported.

"While the majority of the subject inflators will not rupture upon deployment, based on the evidence linking past ruptures to the same friction welding process, all of the subject inflators are at risk of rupturing," NHTSA wrote.