Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Air Bags
Air Bags:Frontal

Summary

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016 four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016 four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The investigation now includes all manufacturers and vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

Documents (38)

• 62001 - SIGNED TAKATA CONSENT ORDER WITH ATTACHMENTS.
• TAKATA RESPONSE TO NHTSA PENALTY DEMAND. * 10/29/2015 * P
• AMENDMENT TO COORDINATED REMEDY ORDER - PUBLIC
• NISSAN LETTER TO NHTSA RE: PARTS COLLECTION
• Preservation Order and Testing Control Plan - February 25, 2015
• Protocol Under NHTSA Preservation Order - April 23, 2015
• MEMO TO FILE NOTING CORRECTION TO OEM COORDINATED REMEDY LETTERS DATED JUNE 18, 2015. * 06/30/2015 * P
• MAZDA RESPONSE TO SECTION 11 OF THE COORDINATED REMEDY AGREEMENT. * 07/27/2015 * p
• TESTING PLAN FROM TAKATA DATED JULY 17, 2015. * 08/10/2015 * p
• FOURTH SPECIAL ORDER TO TAKATA, DATED AUGUST 13, 2015. * 08/17/2015 * p REVISED 8/18/2015 TO CORRECT A TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR FOR VEHICLE MODEL YEAR. * 08/18/2015 * p
• SPECIAL ORDER TO VOLKSWAGEN DATED AUGUST 13, 2015. * 08/17/2015 * p REVISED 8/18/2015 TO CORRECT A TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR FOR VEHICLE MODEL YEAR. * 08/18/2015 * p
• REQUEST TO FORD FOR ASSISTANCE
• BMW RESPONSE TO CLAUSE 11 OF THE REMEDY AGREEMENT. RESPONSE DATED AUGUST 28, 2015. * 09/03/2015 * p
• TAKATA THIRD SPECIAL ORDER DATED JUNE 19, 2015. * 09/11/2015 * p
• STANDING GENERAL ORDER 2015-01 TO VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS DATED 7/27/15. * 09/11/2015 * p
• STANDING GENERAL ORDER 2015-01A TO VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS DATED 8/17/15. * 09/03/2015 * p
• STANDING GENERAL ORDER 2015-02A TO AIRBAG INFLATOR MANUFACTURERS DATED 8/17/15. * 09/11/2015 * p
• APPENDIX A TO STANDING GENERAL ORDERS 2015-01 AND 2015-02: AIRBAG INFLATOR RUPTURE INCIDENT REPORT, DATED 7/24/15. * 09/11/2015 * p
• MAZDA REMEDY AGREEMENT DATED JUNE 18, 2015. * 06/18/2015 * p
• 62246 - FINAL MAZDA REMEDY AGREEMENT DATED JUNE 18, 2015
• TAKATA SUPPLEMENT TO FOURTH SPECIAL ORDER RESPONSE DATED 1/8/16.
• VW NARRATIVE SUPPLEMENT TO SPECIAL ORDER, DATED 11/1/15
• VW NARRATIVE SUPPLEMENT TO SPECIAL ORDER, DATED 12/1/15
• TAKATA SUPPLEMENT TO THE RESPONSE TO THE THIRD SPECIAL ORDER, DATED 11/10/15
• TAKATA SUPPLEMENT TO THE RESPONSE TO THE THIRD SPECIAL ORDER, DATED 12/10/15
• TAKATA SUPPLEMENT TO THE RESPONSE TO THE THIRD SPECIAL ORDER, DATED 1/11/16
• TAKATA EXHIBIT ONE FOR 11/10/15 SUPPLEMENT TO THE RESPONSE TO THE THIRD SPECIAL ORDER.
• TAKATA EXHIBIT ONE FOR 12/10/15 SUPPLEMENT TO THE RESPONSE TO THE THIRD SPECIAL ORDER.
• TAKATA EXHIBIT ONE FOR 1/11/16 SUPPLEMENT TO THE RESPONSE TO THE THIRD SPECIAL ORDER.
• FINAL PROTECTIVE ORDER DATED SEPTEMBER 4, 2015. * 09/17/2015 * p
• FIRST ADDENDUM, DATED SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, TO PROTECTIVE ORDER DATED SEPTEMBER 4, 2015. * 09/17/2015 * p
• COORDINATED REMEDY LETTERS 06/18/2015 TO VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS
• VW SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE TO THE SPECIAL ORDER.
• "GET THE WORD OUT" CUSTOMER OUTREACH CAMPAIGN FROM TAKATA DATED JULY 17, 2015. * 08/10/2015 * p
• BMW DRIVER AIRBAG REMEDY AGREEMENT DATED JULY 13, 2015. * 07/21/2015 * p
• SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE COORDINATED REMEDY ORDER
• STANDING GENERAL ORDER 2015-02 TO AIRBAG INFLATOR MANUFACTURERS DATED 7/27/15. * 09/11/2015 * p
• OPENING RESUME APPROVED

Click a tab for more information.