Feds report 8 deaths, 98 injuries from exploding air bags

In their update of the safety investigation, NHTSA officials said they still haven’t been able to determine a root cause for the Takata defect, which can cause air-bag inflators to explode, sending shrapnel toward drivers and passengers.

At a briefing yesterday, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mark Rosekind, said it is not yet known how many vehicles could be affected, but the agency’s investigation has been expanded to include newer airbags and side airbags.

At least seven people have died and 98 people have been injured by Takata airbag ruptures in the US, the NHTSA said.

Five automakers together account for nearly 80 percent of the suspect air bag inflators on the road and about three-quarters of the affected vehicles: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Honda and Mazda. As of October. 9, only 22.5 percent of the recalled inflators had been replaced nationwide. Reasons cited revolve around the sheer size of the recall, with a dozen major auto makers being involved and millions of cars. Volkswagen and General Motors recently recalled Takata inflators in seat-mounted side air bags because of a chance they could rupture.

The agency said it will focus on getting replacement inflators to older cars, and those in high-humidity areas mainly along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Takata informed General Motors, and the automaker tracked down such inflators in 414 vehicles in North America.

Takata said it was investigating the newest ruptures. “NHTSA is considering a number of steps to accelerate repairs”.

Parts production has increased to 2.8 million replacement kits in the most recent month, NHTSA said. The agency has enlisted three other parts suppliers – Autoliv, Daicel and ZF TRW Automotive Holdings – to produce inflators for Takata-assembled fix modules, the agency said.

“If there wasn’t coordination, this could be chaos”, Rosekind said, according to the Wall Street Journal. On Thursday, Werner Enterprises Inc. and Knight Transportation Inc., two of the largest trucking companies in the USA, both reported better-than-expected earnings in the third quarter.

“I have directed staff to provide for the agency to consider quickly, so that we can make a final decision on whether to invoke our accelerated remedy authority by”, said Rosekind.

“If your vehicle is under a recall, please call your local dealer to arrange for free repairs”, Rosekind said.