Safety officials are seeking a recall for 52 million airbag inflators that can explode and shoot out metal when the airbag deploys, resulting in severe injuries or death.
Need a Texas ARC Airbag Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you were injured by metal from an ARC airbag explosion, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
Safety Officials Move to Force Recall of 52 Million ARC Airbags
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking a recall for 52 million airbag inflators that were manufactured by ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive.
ARC Automotive Refuses to Recall Airbags
The NHTSA first requested a recall earlier this year, but ARC Automotive refused, insisting that any problems with the airbag inflators were linked to “occasional or isolated failures that are an inevitable part of any volume manufacturing process.”
Who is ARC Automotive?
ARC Automotive is an auto-parts manufacturer that is based in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2016, ARC was acquired by the Chinese real estate developer Yinyi Group.
The NHTSA is seeking a recall for 41 million airbag inflators made by ARC Automotive, plus another 11 million that were made by Delphi Automotive Systems LLC under a licensing agreement with ARC.
NHTSA Holds Public Hearing on Defective ARC Airbags
On September 5, 2023, the NHTSA published a preliminary investigation report in which the agency concluded that the airbag inflators are defective. They will hold a public hearing on October 5 regarding this initial assessment, which is a necessary step before the agency can force ARC to issue a recall.
What is the Problem?
NHTSA investigators believe that around 52 million ARC airbag inflators are defective because they can rupture and shoot out metal shrapnel. This shrapnel can injure or kill people in the vehicle, and damage the airbag so that it fails to inflate in a car accident. Both issues present life-threatening safety hazards.
The NHTSA has traced the problem to extra metal debris called “weld slag” that was produced during the friction manufacturing process.
If there is too much debris, it can plug a hole that is supposed to allow gases to escape from the inflator when it deploys. If the gas has nowhere to go, it pressurizes a metal canister and causes the inflator to explode, shooting out jagged pieces of metal shapnel that can kill people in the vehicle. The flying metal also rips the airbag, preventing the airbag from inflating properly.
How Many People Have Been Injured?
ARC airbag inflators have been linked to at least 2 deaths (one in the U.S. and one in Canada) plus 7 injuries where people were hit by metal in their face, neck, chest, or body, resulting in severe bleeding, according to the NHTSA investigation.
These injuries and deaths occurred over an 18-year period, from 2000 to 2018. None have occurred since January 2018, when ARC Automotive updated their manufacturing process to reduce the risk of “weld slag” in the inflators.
Tragic Deaths Linked to ARC Airbag Explosions
One person who died was Marlene B., a 39-year-old mother with 10 children who was driving a 2015 Chevy Traverse when she was hit by another vehicle in August 2021. It was a minor accident that should have been survivable. Instead, the ARC airbag exploded and a piece of metal hit her in the neck, causing her to bleed to death, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family.
The other death occurred in Canada in 2016, when a driver-side airbag inflator made by ARC Automotive exploded in a 2009 Hyundai Elantra after a minor fender-bender, resulting in the death of the driver.
Auto-Makers Who Used ARC Airbags From 2000-2018
Airbags from ARC Automotive and Delphi were used by 12 different auto-makers in cars that were made between 2000 and 2018. Auto-makers have not provided a list of vehicles that may be affected.
ARC Automotive took steps to fix the “weld slag” problem in January 2018. Since then, no injuries or deaths have been linked to the inflators, but 52 million vehicles were manufactured before 2018.
The list of 12 auto-makers who used ARC airbags includes:
- BMW
- Stellantis / Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA)
- Ford
- General Motors (GM)
- Hyundai
- Kia
- Maserati
- Mercedes-Benz
- Porsche
- Tesla
- Toyota
- Volkswagen (VW)
What Can I Do?
If you or a loved one was injured or killed by an airbag that exploded, you may qualify to file a lawsuit and seek financial compensation.
The injuries linked to these exploding airbags may resemble gunshots or knife wounds. People have been hit in the face, eyes, head, neck, chest, or body, resulting in severe bleeding and sometimes death.
Airbag May Fail to Inflate in Car Accidents
In other cases, metal shrapnel blows out of the airbag but does not hit anyone in the vehicle. Instead, the metal rips apart the airbag, and the bag fails to inflate. In this type of accident, the driver’s face may hit the steering wheel or other parts of the vehicle, causing injuries or death.
Need an ARC Airbag Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years of experience, participation in over 600 jury trials, and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our law firm for a free case review.
To contact us for a free review of your potential case, please fill out the form below or call us toll free 24 hrs/day by dialing: