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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 19 May 2023

More than 30 million U.S. drivers don’t know if they’re

at risk from a rare but dangerous airbag blast

Continued from Front sent automakers struggling blown apart.
to find out just how many of Michael Brooks, executive
NHTSA argues that the re- their vehicles contain the director of the nonprofit
call is justified because two inflators. The auto manu- Center for Auto Safety,
people have been killed in facturers are also asking called on NHTSA and the
the United States and Can- NHTSA whether they must automakers to release a list
ada and at least seven oth- start doing recalls. Auto- of affected models.
ers have been injured by makers know many of the “Customers, I think, have a
ARC’s inflators. The explo- models affected. But many right to know if there’s a po-
sions, which first occurred say they’re still gathering in- tential defect in their car,
in 2009, have continued as formation from later model particularly if it’s sitting a
recently as this year. years to determine which few inches from their chest
NHTSA tentatively conclud- vehicles contain the af- and can explode,” Brooks
ed, after an investigation fected inflators. said.
that has lasted for eight “We are still investigating,” The situation, he said, is
years, that the inflators are The ARC Automotive manufacturing plant is seen, July 14, 2015 said Maria Buczkowski, a reminiscent of the early
defective. The agency’s in Knoxville, Tenn. Associated Press spokeswoman for Ford. stages of the Takata air
documents show that the “We have not had any bag inflator recalls in 2001.
inflators date from at least tends are the responsibility take ARC to court to seek ARC airbag inflators rupture It took years for all the af-
the 2002 model year to of automakers. a recall order. NHTSA would in the field.” fected vehicle models to
January 2018, when ARC In a letter to NHTSA, ARC not say when or whether James Bell, a Kia spokes- be announced.
installed equipment on its said no automaker has any of this will happen. man, said, “We do not Both ARC and Takata used
manufacturing lines that found a defect common to In the meantime, owners have a final count on ve- ammonium nitrate to in-
could detect potential all 67 million inflators, and of vehicles made by at hicles that were built with flate air bags. Takata’s
safety problems. no root cause has been least a dozen automakers ARC inflators, but the team situation was more danger-
One of those who died identified in the inflator rup- — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, is collecting the data.” ous, Brooks said, because
was Marlene Beaudoin, tures. Ford, Toyota, Stellantis, Toyota confirmed that in its inflators, the chemi-
a 40-year-old mother of “ARC believes they result- Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, some of its vehicles have cal could deteriorate over
10 from Michigan’s Upper ed from random ‘one-off’ Porsche, Hyundai and Kia ARC inflators but wouldn’t time when exposed to high
Peninsula who was struck manufacturing anomalies — are left to wonder anx- comment further. heat and humidity. Unlike
by metal fragments when that were properly ad- iously whether their vehicles Other automakers said they Takata, ARC uses ammo-
her 2015 Chevrolet Traverse dressed by vehicle manu- contain driver or front pas- were trying to find a cause nium nitrate only as a sec-
SUV was involved in a minor facturers through lot-specif- senger inflators made by and were working with the ondary chemical to inflate
crash in 2021. She and four ic recalls,” the letter said. ARC. (Some vehicles have government or didn’t re- air bags. ARC’s problem
of her sons had been on In a statement, NHTSA indi- ARC inflators on both sides.) spond to requests from The appears to derive instead
their way to get ice cream. cated that both ARC and Because ARC supplies in- Associated Press for infor- from a manufacturing de-
The sons were not hurt. automakers are respon- flators that are included in mation. fect.
ARC maintains that no sible for recalls and that it other manufacturers’ air- NHTSA contends that by- From 2017 to 2022, the ARC
safety defect exists, that can seek a recall from a bags, there’s no easy way products from welding problems triggered seven
NHTSA’s demand is based parts maker that supplies for vehicle owners to deter- during manufacturing can small recalls from automak-
on a hypothesis rather than multiple automakers. mine whether their inflators clog a vent inside the infla- ers. On Friday, the same
technical conclusions and The next step is for NHTSA to are made by ARC. Neither tor canister that’s designed day NHTSA announced its
that the agency has no issue a final ruling on wheth- NHTSA nor ARC nor the au- to let gas escape to fill air action against ARC, Gen-
authority to order a parts er the inflators are defec- tomakers have released a bags quickly in a crash. eral Motors announced
manufacturer to carry out tive, then hold a public full list of affected models. Pressure can build to the the recall of nearly 1 million
recalls, which ARC con- hearing. It potentially could The standoff with ARC has point where the canister is more.q

U.S. inks modest trade deal with Taiwan

in show of support

The first agreement under ing measures to combat wan a renegade Chinese
the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative bribery and other forms of province and has long de-
on 21st Century Trade is corruption and to encour- manded that it reunify.
expected to set the stage aging more trade involving Relations between the Unit-
for a bigger deal later — “a small- and medium-sized ed States and China – the
robust and high-standard businesses. The agreement world’s two biggest econo-
trade agreement,’’ U.S. does not require approval mies – have deteriorated
Trade Representative Kath- from the U.S. Congress. But in recent years. The United
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai listens to a reporter’s erine Tai said. there is broad bipartisan States accuses China of
question at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ The initiative announced support in Washington for predatory economic prac-
Club of Japan Thursday, April 20, 2023, in Tokyo. Thursday will, among other Taiwan, an island of 23 mil- tices and has criticized Bei-
Associated Press
things, cut red tape at cus- lion that split from China jing’s crackdown on dissent
By PAUL WISEMAN ment with Taiwan, signaling toms and reduce waiting when the communists took in Hong Kong and Muslim
AP Economics Writer Washington’s support for times for U.S. businesses over the mainland in 1949 region of Xinjiang and its
WASHINGTON (AP) — The the island democracy as bringing products to Tai- and has since developed bullying of neighbors, in-
United States has reached it comes under increasing wan. It also commits the into a prosperous democ- cluding Taiwan, over terri-
a modest trade agree- pressure from China. U.S. and Taiwan to adopt- racy. Beijing considers Tai- torial claims.q