US backs off effort to recall about 50 million airbag parts

US AUTO safety regulators backed down from forcing a recall of about 50 million airbag inflators they have said could explode in a crash, de-escalating a fight that has dragged on for years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a new filing that “further investigation is warranted” before it can finalise a decision about whether the parts are defective, a necessary step before an involuntary recall. The agency reconsidered its stance after reviewing comments noting manufacturing differences at plants where the components were installed, according to the document posted on Wednesday (Dec 18) on a federal government website.

The suspect parts were made by Knoxville, Tennessee-based ARC Automotive and the former Delphi Automotive Systems. The airbags involved have been used by at least a dozen car manufacturers, including General Motors, Stellantis, Volkswagen and Hyundai Motor.

In May 2023, GM recalled one million vehicles manufactured from 2014 to 2017 that were equipped with ARC inflators. That same month, regulators recommended that ARC issue a widespread recall of its inflators. The closely held company has refused to do so.

Representatives for ARC did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Wednesday.

It’s extremely unusual for regulators to force a recall since most manufacturers usually agree to fix defective parts. The auto industry has been eager to avoid a repeat of the Takata airbags saga from more than a decade ago. Those fixes took years to complete and wound up becoming the biggest auto recall in US history.

NHTSA said in the new filing that it’s planning to request additional information from ARC and the affected carmakers, and it will evaluate their responses before deciding how to proceed. Another lengthy comment period may also be necessary before any action is taken, pushing the decision into the Trump administration.

An estimated 49 million cars in the US were installed with the potentially faulty ARC airbag inflators.

The NHTSA filing was reported earlier by the Associated Press. BLOOMBERG

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