U.S. auto safety regulators are pursuing a recall of 52 million airbag inflators used by a dozen or more brands.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration scheduled an Oct. 5 public hearing on the recommended recall, which affects front driver and passenger airbags made by ARC Automotive and under license to Delphi Automotive Systems.
The federal regulatory agency has decided that the airbag inflators are defective and says they've led to the death of at least two people and the injury of seven others in the U.S. and Canada since 2009. It asked ARC to recall them in May, but ARC has refused, saying it believes there’s no defect in the inflators.
The NHTSA says the airbags’ inflators can explode in a crash, sending shrapnel flying inside the vehicle. They’re used by the likes of General Motors, Stellantis and others.
“Additional inflator ruptures are expected to occur in the future, risking more serious injuries and deaths, if they are not recalled and replaced,” it said in its initial decision on the matter.
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