Takata Eliminating Exploding Airbag Inflator

Takata plans to use a new style airbag inflator, replacing its current "batwing" type model that is at the center of the exploding airbag controversy for the supplier. The company intends to make the change on the driver-side airbag that is part of a recall of 33.8 million vehicles.

One change the company isn’t making though is the use of ammonium nitrate as the propellant in its new inflators, although many of the replacement inflators do not. While no definite cause for the explosion of the airbags, which are linked to six deaths and more than 100 injuries, has been determined, there is a theory that the ammonium nitrate degrades over time, becomes unstable, and causes the explosion.

Takata plans to continue using "ammonium nitrate in our propellant, which is safe and effective for use in airbag inflators when properly engineered and manufactured. We are confident that our replacement airbags are safe," according to supplier executive statements.

Most of Takata’s competitors don’t use ammonium nitrate in their airbag inflators and they are currently providing half of the replacements.

The production level of replacements is steadily increasing as well, In December, the supplier was producing approximately 350,000 kits per month. In May, it jumped to approximately 700,000 units. By September, production is expected to one million per month, which will be for the U.S. market.

Meanwhile, millions of owners of vehicles equipped with Takata air bags may have to get repairs done more than once because of shortages of replacement parts and uncertainty over whether repair parts already installed are defective, auto industry officials and safety regulators said on June 2.

Lawmakers are expected to look at when owners of affected vehicles, which could number as many as 34 million in the U.S., can be sure that their air bags are safe.

The company is still conducting research on the cause of the explosions, stating it has performed "ballistic tests on close to 50,000 inflators since September of last year." The driver-side airbags are responsible for the most incidents in vehicles, including all six fatalities, according to Takata.

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