U.S. questions automakers in probe of possible air-bag explosions

U.S. automobile basic safety regulators posed contemporary inquiries this 7 days to approximately a dozen automakers and sections suppliers in a lengthy-functioning probe of air-bag inflators that could explode in a crash.

The National Highway Visitors Security Administration despatched out letters this 7 days in search of info from the businesses about the variety of cars generated with most likely defective sections created by ARC Automotive Inc.

The agency is also seeking information about how the companies evaluated irrespective of whether the air bags would deploy normally in a crash, with no a most likely harmful rupture that could hurt passengers, according to the files posted on NHTSA’s web page.

The letters spotlight how air luggage at risk of exploding in a crash continue on to haunt the automobile industry even immediately after recalling tens of millions of autos with defective components, manufactured by the now-defunct Takata Corp., that were connected to various fatalities.

Separately, NHTSA commenced investigating air bag inflators designed by ARC Automotive in 2015, covering tens of millions of further parts manufactured as much again as 2004. The most new letters in that probe are focused on areas manufactured by ARC concerning 2010 to 2018. The letters ended up documented previously Thursday by the Wall Avenue Journal.