Tuesday, October 20, 2015

GM Recalls 395 Cars for Takata Side Airbags, NHTSA to Cite More Automakers in Takata Recalls

2015 Buick LaCrosse

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General Motors is recalling 395 cars with Takata-sourced airbag inflators that can send pieces of the inflator into the passenger compartment upon deployment, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Unlike the roughly 19 million cars that have been recalled since last fall, the faulty inflators in these 2015 GM models are not frontal airbags but seat-mounted side airbags. In August, NHTSA began investigating Volkswagen after a side curtain airbag (which deploys from the roof rails to protect occupants’ heads) ruptured in a 2015 Tiguan. The affected GM models include the 2015 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Malibu, and GMC Terrain. Takata notified GM early this month after a side airbag inflator failed during a factory quality check, the automaker said. No injuries or accidents have been reported. Dealers will replace the airbags with new Takata inflators manufactured “outside of the suspect lot.”

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At this point, neither Takata nor NHTSA has implicated additional vehicles in the recall for side and side curtain airbags. They have also not indicated whether these inflators are made with the same ammonium nitrate compound that has proven to degrade over the vehicle’s lifetime and with exposure to humidity. However, the agency is planning to disclose more details—including additional manufacturers subject to the recalls beyond the current 12—during a Thursday hearing live on its Takata page.

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