Maker Of Airbags Linked To 8M Recalled Vehicles Used Unusual Chemical Explosive For Inflation – Consumerist

Takata, the Japanese/German auto-parts maker, that supplied airbags used in millions of recalled vehicles employed an unusual explosive chemical to inflate the safety devices, which may have contributed to the spraying of metal shrapnel at vehicle passengers.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the chemical will likely become the focus of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigators as they continue a probe into the defective airbags that have so far been linked to four deaths and 30 injuries in the United States.

Chemicals have long been the powerful mechanism behind airbags. That’s why after some crashes, the driver or front-seat passenger in a vehicle may have chemical burns on their skin.

Typically the inside of an airbag contains an igniter that heats an aspirin-sized tablet of compressed chemical. The ensuing reaction fills the airbag with gas, inflating it at speeds reaching a few hundred miles per hour.

Takata began using ammonium nitrate in its airbags in the late 1990s, because of the chemical’s ability to make airbags inflate in a matter of milliseconds.

Maker Of Airbags Linked To 8M Recalled Vehicles Used Unusual Chemical Explosive For Inflation – Consumerist

Toyota Expands Defective Airbag Recall To 247,000 Additional Vehicles In High Humidity Areas – Consumerist

The new recall includes 247,000 model year 2002-2005 Lexus SC, 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla, 2003-2005 Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe, 2002-2005 Toyota Sequoia and the 2003-2005 Toyota Tundra that were originally sold, or are currently registered in southern Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa.

According to a notice [PDF] from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, airbags in the affected vehicles may rupture, sending metal fragments toward front-seat passengers in the event of a crash.

Officials with Toyota say the expanded recall was a result of NHTSA’s ongoing investigation into Takata-produced airbags.

“As a result of NHTSA’s investigation, Toyota and Takata have brought forward new test results that underscore the urgency for owners in high-risk areas to take immediate action,” the company said in a statement to Businessweek.

Toyota Expands Defective Airbag Recall To 247,000 Additional Vehicles In High Humidity Areas – Consumerist