NHTSA said in the November order that it no longer had confidence in the safety of ammonium nitrate propellant, which remains under scrutiny as Takata inflators have ruptured and sprayed shards of metal and plastic at motorists.
The findings were based on tests conducted by Orbital ATK, a Dulles, Virginia-based company that makes rocket-propulsion systems. Kelly also said the design of the inflator is coming under more scrutiny than it has in the past. The wire service noted as many as 120 million of the company’s inflators in the USA may contain the “volatile chemical”.
Takata produced between 260 million and 285 million ammonium nitrate-based inflators worldwide between 2000 and 2015, of which almost half wound up in US vehicles, one of the former Takata managers told Reuters.
Within five business days of receiving NHTSA’s determination that a defect exists, Takata either has to submit a report to the agency that would prompt recalls or provide written notice that it disputes the findings.
Leader of the ITC investigation David Kelly did note, however, that some issues with the exploding airbags were beyond ITC’s reach.
The cause of the problem has eluded investigators for more than a decade.
“Under the consent order agreed with NHTSA, Takata committed to a comprehensive framework to address safety concerns with airbag inflators, including through service life testing of inflators not subject to recall”.
In January, federal safety regulators announced the number of deaths linked to Takata inflators rose to nine after a SC man’s death was attributed to a defective inflator, according to The Associated Press.
Former managers interviewed by Reuters described “chronic” quality failures at Takata’s North American inflator plants, an assessment reflected in dozens of company emails and documents dating back to 2001.
Even though today’s findings may help accelerate repairs, the affected vehicles could have to return to dealerships to get fixed yet again, if NHTSA decides that the ammonium nitrate propellant itself is too unstable for on-board operating conditions, said Rebecca Lindland, a senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book.
The person says an announcement from the group is expected Tuesday. Its single largest client was Honda, which still owns a minority stake in Takata and has recalled more than 8m defective Takata inflators in the US.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) continues to probe the issue.
The current recall may have to be redone, Nelson said, “because auto manufacturers are installing new live grenades into people’s cars as replacements for the old live grenades”.