from the corporate-airbags-making-defective-air-bags dept.
Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata has doubled estimates of the number of vehicles affected by an airbag defect to 34 million. Moisture can infiltrate the defective airbags, which causes the chemical propellant inside to ignite too quickly, breaking the inflator and sending "metal shards into the passenger cabin that can lead to serious injury or death." The airbags have been linked to six deaths and over 100 injuries.
The NHTSA's Recalls Spotlight site asks owners to use a VIN search tool for up to several weeks after the announcement of the recall. Models affected include cars from Acura/Honda (5.5 million), BMW (765,000), Chrysler/Dodge/Ram (2.88 million), Ford (538,977), Infiniti/Nissan (1,091,000), Toyota/Lexus/Pontiac (1,514,000), Mazda (330,000), Mitsubishi (11,985), Saab, and Subaru (17,516).
(Numbers are subject to change.)
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A Bloomberg report that cited an estimated $24 billion total cost for a global recall of as many as 287.5 million faulty airbag inflators has been denied by Takata Corporation:
Takata Corp has denied it has calculated the cost of the global recall of its faulty airbags, after a report alleged it could be as much as 2.7 trillion yen ($24bn; £16.7bn). On Wednesday Bloomberg reported the figure citing unnamed sources.
Takata has acknowledged some airbag inflators explode with too much force and spray metal shrapnel into the car. The fault has been linked to the loss of ten lives globally, according the US traffic safety authority. Takata's shares plunged 20% after the report which called it the "auto industry's biggest recall ever", but were in positive territory on Thursday. "We have not announced anything to the effect of the report, and it is untrue that we have calculated the estimated costs (of the recall)," the Tokyo-based company said in a statement.
Previously: Takata Airbag Defect Leads to Largest Automotive Recall in U.S. History
The size of the Takata airbag recall will more than double in size... again. An additional 40 million vehicles may be affected, bringing the total to approximately 69 million. Takata airbag inflators that don't include a desiccant can take on moisture, potentially causing a deadly shrapnel misfire problem.
Here is the release at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind is calling this "the largest recall in American history".
NHTSA and its independent expert reviewed the findings of three independent investigations into the Takata air bag ruptures and confirmed the findings on the root cause of inflator ruptures. A combination of time, environmental moisture and fluctuating high temperatures contribute to the degradation of the ammonium nitrate propellant in the inflators. Such degradation can cause the propellant to burn too quickly, rupturing the inflator module and sending shrapnel through the air bag and into the vehicle occupants.
"The science clearly shows that these inflators become unsafe over time, faster when exposed to humidity and variations of temperature," Rosekind added. "This recall schedule ensures the inflators will be recalled and replaced before they become dangerous, giving vehicle owners sufficient time to have them replaced before they pose a danger to vehicle occupants. NHTSA will continue to evaluate all available research and will act quickly to protect safety."
Look up your car here (Javascript required).
Previously:
Takata Airbag Defect Leads to Largest Automotive Recall in U.S. History
Takata Denies Reported $24 Billion Cost of Airbag Recall
(Score: 1) by Fauxlosopher on Thursday May 21 2015, @08:16AM
Okay, sure, the overall risk level from this problem appears so vanishingly small as to be not worth trifling over. I'm still happy with my choice to completely remove the airbags from my car.
I'll take my chances with broken collarbones and the like from simple seatbelts over having a bomb [youtube.com] go off [youtube.com] mere inches in front of my face.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2015, @08:51AM
The side impact ones might be useful if you don't have a habit of wearing a helmet while driving.
I don't see the point of the front ones if you wear decent seatbelts.
If you happen to be holding the steering wheel "wrong"[1] US strength[2] steering wheel airbags can break your arms/hands. Thanks but no thanks, I might still need my arms to break out of the car after the airbag goes off.
[1] where your arms/hands get hit by the airbag (which is like positions other than hands below 3 o-clock to 9 o-clock)
[2] Some sources say US airbags are more powerful because US people tend to be heavier and often don't wear seatbelts.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Nuke on Thursday May 21 2015, @10:13AM
I am in the UK. When seatbelts were made compulsory wearing in the UK the vast majority of people did wear them. I might be wrong, and it might be an urban myth, but my understanding of the origin of airbags is that they were introduced into the USA because a much greater proportion of people there would not wear seatbelts, whatever the legislation - it being the Land of the Free and all that. So airbags were introduced to cover these people.
They were then introduced to the UK partly because car manufacture had become internationalised and partly because safety officials and legislators say "Yes" to anything with the word "Safety" attached to it. Whether there is any significant point to an airbag if you are already wearing a seatbelt, I do not know.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday May 21 2015, @04:13PM
I was on scene a minute after an accident, a few months back. The side of a sedan had been shredded by a pickup (fast moving sedan vs carelessly maneuvering truck). I'm pretty sure that the people inside were glad to have airbag fabric between the pieces of the shattered windows and their skin. As long as you're not holding a hard object in front of your face (or sit too close), more cushioning is a good thing when playing with lots of g and flying objects. The motorcyclist would have probably appreciated air bags too, but we can't ask him.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2015, @12:41AM
Yea, and when I hit a Cadillac, who ran a stop sign about a decade ago, the airbags sprained both my wrists/hands to the point where I could neither unbuckle my seat belt, nor open the door to climb out. The seatbelt did all the work, the airbags caused more injury and damage to the car than the crash did. What if I had needed to get out of the car quickly, like if there was a fire? I would have been dead.
On top of that, airbags are expensive. The limited studies I have seen show passenger airbags being not cost effective under any circumstances, while driver airbags are at best break even, but probably not cost effective either.
What safety technology do we NOT have because airbags are mandated? Think about that.
One possible technology are foam-metal crumple zones, which increase structural integrity and shock absorption without increasing weight. They use an aluminum foam inside the structural members to prevent large buckling of structural members in a crash. An interesting technology that we will never see because the money that might be spent on that is being diverted thanks to the government.
If someone wants to drive something with the crashworthyness of a 1978 Beetle I say let them and let the insurance companies assess risk and charge appropriate premiums.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Thursday May 21 2015, @04:57PM
That isn't what is gonna bust their ass, its the fact that according to TFA they knew the bags were defective in 2004 and instead of doing anything about it continued to sell them, even when one of their plants were seeing defect rates 6-8 times what should have been expected.
Remember not that many folks died from Ford Pinto rear end impact either, didn't keep them from getting sued left right and sideways and ultimately costing Ford the only really viable small car they had right smack dab in the middle of an energy crisis.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2015, @08:18AM
Fewer drivers left alive on the roads means less air pollution, less noise pollution, and less danger to pedestrians.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2015, @09:07AM
So improve the world using your own methods then. Start at home. Start with yourself.