Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode – Takata

January 2, 2019 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19E001000

Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode

 

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

TK Global LLC (Takata) has decided that certain PSPI, PSPI-1.1, PSPI-2, PSPI-6, PSPI-L, and SPI air bag inflators assembled as part of the frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags) may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling. This recall addresses model year 2014 and newer vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 

Remedy

Takata will be working with vehicle manufacturers to determine into which vehicles the affected inflators were installed either as original or replacement equipment during service. As this work progresses, numerous vehicle recalls will likely be announced by the impacted vehicle manufacturers. The recall began on January 2, 2019. Vehicles registered outside of these states may be covered by recalls 19E-002 or 19E-003.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

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DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT FOR ZONE A

January 2, 2019

 

TK Global LLC

 

TAKATA NON-DESICCATED FRONTAL AIR BAG INFLATORS CONTAININGPHASE STABLIZED AMMONIUM NITRATE FOR ZONE A

 

Number potentially involved: 

Approximately 1 million inflators

 

Estimated Percentage of involved with defect:

1% ^[1]

 

Describe the defect or non-compliance: 

TK Global, formerly Takata, is submitting this DIR in accordance with the terms specified in the May 4, 2016 Amendment to the November 3, 2015 Consent Order in EA15-001.  This report contemplates national recalls of vehicles equipped with certain former Takata non-desiccated inflators used in frontal airbag systems containing a phase stabilized ammonium nitrate-based propellant that were not included in prior national recalls.  The subject inflators include models designated by Takata as: PSPI, PSPI-1.1, PSPI-2, PSPI-6, PSPI-L, and SPI.

TK Global is not aware of any test ruptures in ballistic testing of returned inflators in the designated categories and model years or confirmed field incidents of the subject nondesiccated ammonium nitrate inflators other than those already under recall as detailed in prior defect information reports.  Out of an abundance of caution, however, TK Global is filing this report in cooperation with NHTSA to promote public safety.

As a result of the developments and circumstances described below, TK Global has determined that a defect related to motor vehicle safety may arise in some of the subject non-desiccated ammonium nitrate inflators due to propellant degradation occurring after prolonged exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.  Testing and analysis conducted by Takata, TK Global and by independent entities have found that there are wide differences in the time periods in which propellant degradation takes place.  The propellant degradation varies in different climate zones, in different vehicle makes and models, and in different inflator and propellant configurations.  The Agency has concluded that these non-desiccated frontal Takata PSAN air bag inflators do not pose an unreasonable risk to safety under the Safety Act until they reach a certain level of propellant degradation.

This DIR applies to all subject inflators installed as original equipment in all remaining vehicles, that have been registered in Zone A, as defined in Paragraph 7 of the May 4, 2016 Amendment to the Consent Order, and that are not currently covered by an inflator recall.  This includes vehicles from Model Year 2014 and newer.

Zone A includes states and U.S. territories with the greatest temperature cycling and absolute humidity.  It includes: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The subject inflators were installed as original equipment in vehicles sold in the United States by the following vehicle manufacturers (listed alphabetically):

American Honda Motor Co.
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 9051-2746
Phone: (310) 783-2000

 

BMW of North America
P.O. Box 1227
Woodcliff Lake, NJ  07677-7731
Phone:  (201) 307-4000

 

Daimler Vans USA LLC
303 Perimeter Center North
Suite 202 Atlanta, GA 30346
Phone: (770) 705-2070

 

FCA US LLC
800 Chrysler Drive
CIMS 482-00-91 Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2757
Phone: (800) 853-1403

 

Ferrari North America, Inc.
250 Sylvan Ave.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
Phone: (201) 816-2600

 

Ford Motor Company
330 Town Center Drive
Suite 500, Dearborn, MI 48126
Phone: (866) 436-7332

 

General Motors LLC
30001 Van Dyke Road
Warren, MI 48094-9020.
Phone: (313) 556-5000

 

Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC
555 Mac Arthur Boulevard
Mahwah, NJ 07430
Phone: (800) 452-4827

 

Mazda North America Operations
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 910 Washington DC 20036
Phone: (800) 222-5500

 

McLaren Automotive Inc.
750 Third Avenue
Suite 2400
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (646) 429-8916

 

Mercedes Benz USA LLC
303 Perimeter Center North
Atlanta, Ga. 30346
Phone: (407) 545-6768

 

Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc.
6400 Katella Avenue
Cypress, CA 90630
Phone: (714) 372-6000

 

Subaru of America Inc.
One Subaru Drive
Camden, NJ 08103
Phone: (856) 488-8500

 

Tesla Motors Inc.,
3500 Deer Creek Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: 650-413-4000

 

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
19001 South Western Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Phone: 800-331-4331

 

 

Describe the safety risk:

Activation of a non-desiccated ammonium nitrate inflator with degraded propellant may result in an inflator rupture.  An inflator rupture may cause metal fragments to pass through the air bag and into the vehicle interior at high speed, which may result in injury or death to vehicle occupants.

 

Describe the cause:

The propellant wafers in some of the subject inflators may degrade over time, which could lead to over-aggressive combustion in the event the air bag is activated.  Overly aggressive combustion creates excessive internal pressure when the inflator is activated, which may cause the inflator body to rupture.  Based upon Takata’s and TK Global’s investigations to date, the potential for such ruptures occurs in some of the subject inflators after several years of exposure to persistent conditions of high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.  The potential for rupture may also be influenced by other factors, including the specific vehicle environment, the inflator and propellant configuration, and manufacturing variability.

 

Chronology:

November 3, 2015 – NHTSA and Takata entered into a Consent Order in EA15-001 to resolve issues raised in that investigation, to mitigate and control risks of harm, and to promote public safety.

May 4, 2016 – NHTSA and Takata entered into an Amendment to the November 3, 2015 Consent Order.  As stated in that Amendment, on the basis of testing and analysis conducted by Takata and by independent research organizations, NHTSA has concluded that, “at some point in the future all non-desiccated frontal Takata PSAN inflators will reach a threshold level of degradation that could result in the inflator becoming unreasonably dangerous”.  As a result of this conclusion, and pursuant to Paragraph 29 of the November 3, 2015 Consent Order, NHTSA ordered Takata to file certain defect information reports (“DIR”), in accordance with the schedule set forth in Paragraph 14 of the Amendment.

May 16, 2016 – Takata submitted DIRs per the schedule specified by NHTSA in the Amendment to the Consent Order.

January 3, 2017 – Takata submitted DIRs per the schedule specified by NHTSA in the Amendment to the Consent Order.  The schedule called for certain DIRs to be submitted by Dec. 31, 2016.  However, since that date fell on a weekend and a Federal holiday was observed on Jan. 2, 2017, NHTSA agreed that the DIRs would be submitted on Jan. 3, 2017, the next business day.

January 2, 2018 – Takata submitted DIRs per the schedule specified by NHTSA in the Amendment to the Consent Order.  The schedule called for certain DIRs to be submitted by Dec. 31, 2017.  However, since that date fell on a weekend and a Federal holiday was observed on Jan. 1, 2018, NHTSA agreed that the DIRs would be submitted on Jan. 2, 2018, the next business day.

April 10, 2018 – Due to the company bankruptcy and sale of the majority of Takata assets, the successor company responsible for PSAN inflators is TK Global LLC.
TK Global LLC is responsible for investigations and necessary field actions for all Phase Stabilized Ammonium Nitrate (PSAN) airbag inflators, originally manufactured by Takata.

January 2, 2019 – TK Global is submitting this DIR per the schedule specified by NHTSA in the Amendment to the Consent Order. The schedule calls for all subject inflators installed as original equipment in all remaining  vehicles to be submitted by Dec 31, 2018.  NHTSA agreed that this DIR could be submitted on Jan. 2, 2019.

 

Describe the defect / noncompliance remedy program:

Per the sale of the majority of Takata assets to Joyson Safety Systems (JSS) and the bankruptcy agreement, the supplier of remedy parts is JSS.   The Coordinated Remedy Program, being administered by the Independent Monitor, will prioritize the supply of remedy parts to the vehicles and zones that present the highest risk.

 

[1] Estimated Percentage of involved with defect is unknown, 1% is used here because submission within NHTSA’s safety portal will not allow a non‐numeric value.

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6 Affected Products

3 Associated Documents

Miscellaneous Document- Takata DIR January 2 2019 Zone A Final

RMISC-19E001-7774.pdf 125.12KB

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-19E001-3349.PDF 218.259KB

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-19E001-6075.pdf 245.281KB

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Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=19E001&docType=RCL

 

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1 Associated Investigation

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 http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

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