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Exploding airbag inflators are still affecting automakers, vehicles, occupants and safety regulators who are trying to determine if millions of inflators and vehicles should be recalled.
The entire ordeal involves ARC Automotive, Delphi Automotive, and a federal safety investigation opened in 2015 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That investigation was upgraded in 2016 following the death of a Canadian woman from a ruptured ARC airbag inflator in a 2009 Hyundai Elantra.
NHTSA estimates there are more than 50 million suspect airbag inflators in vehicles manufactured by 13 automakers.
Safety regulators said in 2023 that recalls should be considered due to the dangers posed by the inflators. This got the attention of the airbag inflator manufacturers and the automakers.
General Motors did announce a recall of about 1 million vehicles in May 2023, but ARC automatically rejected any talk of a recall.
All the companies argued the chance of an inflator exploding was so small there was no need for time-consuming expensive recalls. NHTSA believes the affected vehicles were manufactured during an 18-year period.
Although NHTSA previously argued recalls were necessary due to the risk of deaths and injuries, the agency now says it will spend more time investigating the engineering details.
NHTSA is aware of at least seven incidents which involve airbag inflator ruptures in the U.S.
But to show how confusing the matter is to investigators, the inflators were manufactured at different times in three different manufacturing facilities.
The seven exploded airbag inflators also included both single stage and dual stage inflators, and the inflators were installed in airbag modules by four different module suppliers.
In addition, the ruptured ARC inflators were used in vehicles from four different automakers.
Exploding Airbag Inflator Incidents
2002 Chrysler Town and Country
- Ohio / January 29, 2009
- Driver seriously injured
2004 Kia Optima
- New Mexico / April 8, 2014
- Driver injuries to face and legs
2010 Chevrolet Malibu
- Pennsylvania / September 22, 2017
- Driver injuries to face and head
2015 Chevrolet Traverse
- Michigan / August 15, 2021
- Driver was killed
2015 Chevrolet Traverse
- Kentucky / October 20, 2021
- Driver injuries to face
2016 Audi A3 e-Tron
- California / December 18, 2021
- Passenger airbag exploded, driver and passenger injured
2017 Chevrolet Traverse
- Michigan / March 22, 2023
- Driver injuries to face
Exploding Airbag Inflator Incidents (Outside of the U.S.)
According to NHTSA, at least two ARC airbag inflators have exploded outside the U.S.
2009 Hyundai Elantra
- Canada / July 11, 2016
- Driver was killed
2015 Volkswagen Golf
- Turkey / October 16, 2017
- No injuries