Airbag inflators that were installed during the earlier massive Takata recall may need to replaced in the future.
https://www.bendbulletin.com/busine...d8c6aeb-de94-5b18-a87b-e310119d53fb.html
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...NHTSA is carefully reviewing information regarding the safety of [newer] desiccated inflators to determine appropriate next steps," the agency said. It typically takes the NHSTA as long as 6 to 12 months to issue an official recall after it collects enough data.
...Global automakers may face another potentially huge air-bag recall as [NHTSA] evaluates the long-term safety of inflators made by bankrupt supplier Takata.......The Japanese parts maker pleaded guilty to a wire-fraud charge as part of a $1 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over the air-bag problems, and later went out of business.
The manufacturing entity [TK Services] left after the supplier's implosion faces a Dec. 31 deadline to show the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that as many as 100 million inflators containing a chemical drying agent will be safe long-term.
If the supplier can't demonstrate the safety or durability of newer desiccant-equipped inflators, the U.S. agency may order that they be recalled as well. The total bill for another massive recall could reach tens of billions of dollars, with carmakers bearing the brunt of the costs.
A group of automakers involved in the recalls commissioned durability tests of the desiccant-equipped air bags and presented their findings to NHTSA in early October. The group, known as the Independent Testing Coalition, found that the drying agent provided significant protection. The group recommended a monitoring program for one inflator design in the riskiest climates while telling NHSTA that it believes the parts present no immediate safety risk.
"After 30 years of predicted aging, none of the studied inflator designs and propellant combinations predicted detrimental effects, except those subjected to the most severe conditions and vehicle temperature," David Kelly, the ITC's program director and a former NHTSA acting administrator, said in an October statement.
Even as the possibility of another massive recall looms, it would be on top of a recent expansion of Takata air-bag recalls. On Dec. 5, Takata told the NHTSA that another 1.4 million vehicles would have to be repaired.
Some automakers have already taken steps to recall desiccant-equipped air bags. In March, Honda Motor Co. voluntarily recalled about 1.1 million vehicles in the U.S. to replace inflators with the drying agent, which were installed in an earlier round of recalls. Honda said that the desiccant installed in Takata's air bags may have absorbed excessive moisture when they were manufactured in Mexico, potentially making the problem worse.
