BUSINESS DAY

Recalls Over Takata Airbag Defects Grow to 34 Million

By DANIELLE IVORY and 
 
By Carrie Halperin 1:11
Takata’s Malfunctioning Airbags

Takata’s Malfunctioning Airbags

By Carrie Halperin on  November 6, 2014.
Takata, the Japanese supplier linked to faulty airbags in millions of cars, widened the scale of potential recalls in the United States on Tuesday to 34 million vehicles.
The supplier made the announcement with federal safety regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which had been prodding the company since late last year to say that the airbags were defective. Takata had fought these demands, even asserting at one point that the agency could not force it to issue a recall.
Airbag inflaters made by Takata can explode violently when they deploy, spraying metal fragments into the passenger compartment. Six deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the flaw.
“From the very beginning, our goal has been simple: a safe airbag in every vehicle,” said Mark R. Rosekind, administrator of the safety agency since December. “The steps we’re taking today represent significant progress toward that goal.”
But the agency said it did not have a final breakdown yet of all the makes and models the expanded recall encompasses, and that it will not for several days until it coordinates with automakers. The final number of defective cars may shift downward as more tests are performed, Mr. Rosekind said. He acknowledged that the repairs could take several years to complete, but he said that consumers could still drive their cars in the meantime.

Danger in the Steering Wheel 

Airbags made by the Takata Corporation have a potential defect when they deploy. Some have ruptured, sending metal fragments into the car. Six deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the problem. 
INFLATER/CANISTER
PROPELLANT
Cutaway view
INFLATER/CANISTER
STEERING WHEEL
AIRBAG
HOW IT WORKS:
Inside the canister, pellets of a propellant based on ammonia nitrate, a common compound used in fertilizer, are ignited and generate the nitrogen gas that inflates the airbag in a fraction of a second.
THE PROBLEM:
Takata has said manufacturing problems, together with exposure to moisture in cars in humid regions, can cause the propellant to degrade. This can make the propellant burn too strongly when the airbag is deployed, rupturing the inflater and sending metal fragments into the car’s interior and injuring the driver or passengers.
“Yes, people need to drive their cars,” Mr. Rosekind said, adding that they should be checking with their dealers often “to ensure it gets replaced as soon as possible.”
Even now, Takata and automakers continue to search for the root cause of the inflater defect, but it still remains unclear. But in new filings with the safety agency, Takata went further than it had previously in admitting wider, structural problems with its airbag inflaters.
“Up until now Takata has refused to acknowledge that their airbags are defective,” said Anthony Foxx, the transportation secretary. “That changes today.”
In its filings, dated Monday, Takata said that the propellant in the airbag inflaters — the explosive material that generates the gases to inflate the airbag — could degrade over time if exposed to high humidity and changes in temperature, making it prone to “over-aggressive combustion.”
Former Takata engineers told The New York Times last year that they had raised concerns over a decade ago that the explosive material Takata uses — ammonium nitrate — was sensitive to moisture and temperature swings. But those concerns went unheeded, they said.
 
By Associated Press 00:29
Takata Doubles Recall of Its Airbags

Takata Doubles Recall of Its Airbags

By Associated Press on  May 19, 2015.Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press.
Takata’s patents also document how the company’s engineers for years struggled to stabilize the ammonium nitrate in its propellant.
And for the first time, Takata also acknowledged problems with leaks in its airbag inflaters. Tests had revealed that some of its airbag inflaters were found to have leaks in the seals that are supposed to keep them air tight.
Last week, a former Takata consultant said that tests he carried out on prototype Takata airbags in the early 2000s showed that they contained leaks. He urged the company to use a different leak testing method, one that he devised, he said, but his advice went unheeded.
In February, federal safety regulators began to levy a fine of $14,000 a day against Takata because it had not cooperated fully in the agency’s investigation. The company disputed the claims. With the expansion of the recall, though, regulators said they would suspend that fine, which had reached more than $1 million.
Takata’s airbag problems date back almost 15 years. As early as 2000, customers filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration alluding to rupturing airbags in models that contained Takata’s product. Eight years later, in November 2008, Honda recalled more than 4,000 cars with the airbags and then, six months later, after a teenager was killed by fragments from an exploding airbag, the company recalled an additional 510,000 vehicles.

Is Your Takata Airbag Under Recall?

Millions of vehicles have been recalled worldwide over faulty airbags made by Takata. Six deaths have been linked to ruptured Takata airbags, five of them in the United States.
People in the United States can find out if their vehicle has been recalled on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall page. Outside the United States, vehicle owners should consult their national safety regulator.
Those Honda recalls prompted safety regulators to open an investigation into the defect in 2009, but six months later it was closed abruptly. The agency did not even require Takata to produce all of the documents that it had initially requested. Less than a year later, more recalls for cars with the airbags were issued.
As the number of cars under recall continued to expand, the safety agency started a second investigation into the airbags last June and, late last year, began to demand that automakers issue nationwide recalls in the United States.
Just last week, Honda, Toyota and Nissan recalled more than 11.5 million cars worldwide.
Tuesday’s announcement drew praise from one lawmaker who has been a persistent critic of Takata.
“Folks shouldn’t have to drive around wondering if their airbag is going to explode in their face or if their car is going to be on another recall list,” said Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee and a key figure in a congressional investigation into the defective airbags. “Let’s hope Takata’s admissions today tells us the whole story.”
Analysts said the recalls illustrated the risk that automakers take in a push to standardize production across the globe.
“A recall of this scope illustrates the potential for massive automaker expense and consumer inconvenience when a common, mass-produced part is defective,” Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said in an email. “Ironically, the use of common parts across markets and manufacturers is meant to save money, yet a recall of this size will cost the industry billions.”
Aaron Kessler and Bill Vlasic contributed reporting.