ARC Automotive, a key supplier of airbag parts used in BMW, General Motors, Hyundai, and Kia models worldwide, is refusing to initiate a recall despite concerns over a safety defect in its products.
According to the BBC, the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has uncovered incidents where ARC Automotive’s airbag inflators have ruptured, causing injuries and prompting calls for immediate action.
The NHTSA, responsible for overseeing vehicle safety, has urged ARC Automotive to recall 67 million of its airbag inflators due to the safety issue. However, the company has rejected the request, asserting that the agency’s findings do not warrant a large-scale recall.
Airbag inflators that explode and pose a risk of propelling dangerous shrapnel towards passengers have long haunted the automotive industry. In this case, ARC Automotive’s products, installed in various BMW, General Motors, Hyundai, and Kia models, have raised concerns due to incidents of rupture and resulting injuries.
General Motors recently agreed to recall nearly one million vehicles following an airbag rupture incident that caused facial injuries to a driver of one of their SUVs in March. The NHTSA, in a letter to ARC Automotive summarizing their extensive eight-year investigation, cited this incident as well as eight others dating back to 2009.
Stephen Ridella, director of the NHTSA’s office of defects investigation, emphasized the clear defectiveness of airbag inflators that rupture during deployment. Citing safety reasons, he recommended an immediate recall, warning that the defect posed an “unreasonable risk of death and injury” to front-seat passengers.
In response to the NHTSA’s findings, ARC Automotive expressed strong disagreement. Steve Gold, ARC’s vice-president of product integrity, acknowledged the company’s commitment to addressing potential issues but argued that investigators failed to identify any widespread or systematic defect in their inflators. Gold suggested that the incidents were isolated occurrences resulting from “random ‘one-off’ manufacturing anomalies” that had already been rectified.
If an agreement cannot be reached, the impasse between ARC Automotive and the NHTSA may potentially lead to a legal battle.
The situation draws parallels to the prolonged recall of over 100 million defective inflators manufactured by Takata Corporation, a case that ultimately led the Japanese parts maker to declare bankruptcy.
As the defective airbag issue spans multiple renowned car manufacturers globally, attention and concern over the safety of affected models continue to grow.
Car dealerships in Mauritius have not issued any warning so far on the matter.
Source: BBC
