Automakers oppose US bid to force recall of airbag inflators

GM said NHTSA failed to demonstrate the need for “a massive and unprecedented expansion of the existing ARC inflator recalls”. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: Major automakers, including General Motors, Toyota Motor and Volkswagen and two airbag makers, say they oppose the US auto safety regulator’s bid to require the recall of 52 million airbag inflators.

Officials with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) argued at a hearing in October that inflators produced by the two airbag manufacturers, ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive, should be recalled because they may rupture and send metal fragments flying.