Report Details Four Reasons Takata Airbags Malfunction
As Takata executives testify before Congress, details from a new report by a German research firm suggests four reasons the inflators can malfunction. It looks to explain the crisis of defective airbags that can send metal shrapnel into the car as they deploy. Investigators have linked Takata inflators to at least six deaths and more than 100 injuries worldwide.
Related: GM, Subaru Expand Takata Airbag Recalls
Fraunhofer Institute, which conducted the testing at Takata’s behest, sent the report to the supplier, as well as regulators and automakers involved. A source close to the report told The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) what it found. According to WSJ’s source, the malfunction stems from four areas:
- Damaged or problematic inflator parts, including O-ring seals
- The position of the inflator in the steering wheel or dashboard
- Variations in manufacturing
- Exposure to heat and humidity.
The newspaper also noted that the aluminum tape that Takata uses to seal the holes in certain inflators could fail over time, which allows moisture into the airbag propellant.
How much risk is there of an explosion? There are at least six types of Takata airbag inflators under scrutiny, according to defect reports posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Takata has conducted ballistic tests on more than 30,000 recovered inflators, and the vast majority of ruptures came from airbags that had spent significant time in areas with high absolute humidity. In the company’s tests, rates ranged from zero to 2.16 percent depending on the inflator group. The group with the highest defect rate (180 ruptures out of 8,320 tested, or 2.16 percent) had “PSPI-L” inflators, which are in the passenger-side airbags of certain 2004-2007 Honda Accords, 2003-2007 Toyota Corollas, 2003-2007 Toyota Matrixes and 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibes, according to Takata’s defect report.
Regardless of the inflator, we’re keeping a running total of all cars under Takata recall, and we strongly recommend that owners of affected cars get their repairs made as soon as parts are available. You can read the list here.
