ARC Automotive responds to NHTSA’s request for information on airbag inflator investigation

Background

ARC Automotive has responded to the latest request by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as part of the agency’s ramped-up investigation of rupturing airbag inflators manufactured by the Tier 2 supplier.

The Request

NHTSA on May 31 issued a special order directing ARC to answer written questions under oath and produce additional documents by June 14.

ARC’s Response

The company stated that it “strongly disagrees with the agency’s ‘tentative conclusion’ that a safety defect exists” in the subject driver and passenger inflators — 11 million of which were manufactured by Autoliv-acquired Delphi under a licensing agreement with ARC, which made the remainder.

At least nine incidents globally — seven in the U.S. — of ruptured airbag inflators have been identified in NHTSA’s still-open investigation of ARC. Of those, dating from 2009 to as recently as March, seven injuries and two deaths have been reported.

ARC, which in January 2018 installed instruments to detect excessive weld slag and other debris in the welding process, said it believes the ruptures resulted from “one-off manufacturing anomalies” that were addressed by automakers in subsequent recalls.

In its response, ARC said it “did not design and manufacture its inflators with an expectation that some would occasionally experience a field rupture. ARC recognizes, however, that even with appropriate industry standards … and efforts by manufacturers to minimize the risks of failures, the manufacturing processes may not completely eliminate the risk of occasional or isolated failures.”

The inflators have been used in vehicles made by at least 12 automakers. NHTSA has not yet released a complete list of all makes and models that might have the inflators, nor has it provided a figure for how many vehicles might be affected.

Since the launch of the ARC investigation in 2015, automakers — including BMW, Ford and Volkswagen — have initiated eight recalls to address potential safety defects with ARC airbag inflators.

Most recently, General Motors called back nearly 1 million 2014-17 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia large crossovers equipped with the airbag inflators.