US demands recall of 67 million air bag inflators due to deadly defect; company refuses

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been investigating ARC Automotive Inc’s air bag inflators for more than seven years, and in 2016, it upgraded its probe to include over 8 million of the company’s inflators. The investigation was launched in July 2015 after two reported injuries resulting from inflator ruptures in a 2002 Chrysler Town & Country and a 2004 Kia Optima.

According to NHTSA, the inflators pose an unreasonable risk of death or injury, as they can project metal fragments into vehicle occupants instead of properly inflating the attached air bag. NHTSA has demanded the recall of 67 million ARC air bag inflators, which are installed in vehicles made by General Motors, Chrysler-parent Stellantis, BMW, Hyundai Motor, and Kia Corp.

ARC Automotive Inc, however, has rejected NHTSA’s request, stating that the tentative conclusion that a defect exists is based on only seven field ruptures in the US, and that the agency is asking the company to prove a negative – that the 67 million inflators in question are not defective.