The massive recall of Takata airbag inflators recently pushed the supplier into bankruptcy but the headaches might not be over as Reuters is reporting the replacement units might not be safe.
Citing industry consultants and explosives experts, the report suggests Takata’s solution of adding a drying agent to prevent accidental discharges may not work in the long run.
The report comes a week after the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration announced testing found 2.7 million new air bag inflators were defective. This could suggest the drying agent isn’t able to cope with moisture that can accidentally trigger the inflator’s ammonium nitrate charge.
The company has until the end of 2019 to prove its replacement inflators are safe but if the government determines they are not, it could spark a recall of around 100 million inflators.
The replacement inflators use either calcium sulfate or zeolite as a drying agent and a spokesperson told the publication “We still have to prove the safety of our desiccated inflators, but we believe those using zeolite are safer than those using calcium sulfate.”
The original components resulted in the deaths of at least 17 people but none of the replacements units have been linked to any injuries or fatalities. However, Reuters says problem with the original inflators took around five years to develop.
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