According to foreign media reports, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has said that the agency still believes that the 49 million U.S. vehicles produced by 13 automakers equipped with airbag inflators have serious safety risks, and is considering a recall.
The problem has caused one death and seven injuries in the U.S. after an eight-year-long investigation by the U.S. government. If the recall goes forward, it will be the second largest in U.S. history.
The NHTSA suggested at a hearing last October that the inflators made by two airbag makers could rupture, causing metal fragments to fly, and should therefore be recalled. The agency did not immediately make a final decision after several car companies raised objections last December.
A few days ago, NHTSA said it would reaffirm and update its initial decision, first issued last September, and give automakers another 30 days to respond before formally requiring a recall.
According to NHTSA, “Common sense requires us to recognize that metal fragments can cause injuries and deaths, and that this poses an unreasonable risk to safety.”
Major automakers, including GM, Toyota and Volkswagen, as well as two airbag makers, said last December that they opposed the NHTSA’s quest for a recall.
GM recently said, “There is no evidence at this time that an additional recall beyond the existing recalled vehicles is necessary.” GM had recalled 1 million airbag inflators in May 2023 after a rupture of the device caused a driver to suffer facial injuries. The company said last December that the recall would affect “as many as 15 percent of the more than 300 million vehicles registered in the U.S. Stellantis, for its part, said they are reviewing the NHTSA’s decision.