According to a government document seen by reporters on Sunday, US auto safety investigators have opened a new investigation into 30 million vehicles built by nearly two dozen automakers with potentially defective Takata airbag inflators.
On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the start of an engineering investigation into an estimated 30 million U.S. vehicles from 2001 to 2019. The investigation, which is still ongoing, was made known to automakers.
Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp, General Motors Co, Nissan Motor, Subaru, Tesla, Ferrari NV, Nissan Motor, Mazda, Daimler AG, BMW, Chrysler (now part of Stellantis NV) Porsche Cars.
On Sunday, the automakers either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment before the NHTSA’s expected public announcement on Monday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) declined to comment.
According to the document, the 30 million vehicles include both vehicles that had the inflators installed when they were manufactured and some inflators that were used in previous recall repairs.
More than 67 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled in the United States — and more than 100 million globally — in the largest auto safety recall in history because inflators can occasionally send deadly metal fragments flying.
There have been at least 28 deaths globally, including 19 in the United States, and over 400 injuries linked to faulty Takata inflators.
The inflators in the 30 million vehicles under investigation contain a “desiccant” or drying agent. According to the document, there have been no reported ruptures of vehicles on the road due to the drying agent in airbag inflators.
“While no immediate safety risk has been identified, additional research is needed to assess the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators,” the NHTSA said in an engineering analysis obtained by reporters. “More research is needed to assess the desiccated inflators’ long-term safety.”
NHTSA has said the cause of the inflator explosions tied to the recall of 67 million inflators that can emit deadly fragments is propellant breaking down after long-term exposure to high-temperature fluctuations and humidity. The agency has ordered that all Takata products without a drying agent be recalled.
In the United States, 16 people have died in Honda vehicles, two in Ford vehicles, and one in a BMW, while 9 people have died in Honda vehicles in Malaysia, Brazil, and Mexico.
The NHTSA did not immediately provide a breakdown of how many vehicles are covered by the investigation per manufacturer.
The safety agency said the investigation “will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field.”
Earlier this year, NHTSA said of the 67 million recalled inflators, approximately 50 million have been repaired or are otherwise accounted for.
