“Those airbag inflators would possibly rupture when the automobile’s airbag is commanded to deploy, inflicting steel particles to be forcefully ejected into the passenger compartment of the automobile. A rupturing airbag inflator poses an unreasonable chance of significant harm or dying to automobile occupants,” NHTSA wrote.

ARC didn’t straight away reply to a request for remark.

The most recent motion comes amid an eight-year-long investigation of rupturing airbag inflators manufactured by way of ARC, a Knoxville, Tenn., Tier 2 provider.

In a letter made public in Would possibly, NHTSA demanded that ARC recall 67 million airbag inflators produced via January 2018 that the company “tentatively concluded” are faulty.

ARC rejected NHTSA’s call for. The corporate said that it “strongly disagrees with the company’s ‘tentative conclusion’ {that a} protection defect exists” within the motive force and passenger inflators.

ARC, which in January 2018 put in tools to come across over the top slag and different particles within the welding procedure, stated it believes the ruptures resulted from “one-off production anomalies” that had been addressed by way of automakers in next remembers.

NHTSA on Tuesday driven again towards that declare, mentioning the company “believes that ruptures would possibly outcome from the weld slag produced by way of the friction welding production procedure.”

“Must weld slag of a enough dimension turn out to be dislodged, it may purpose a blockage of the inflator go out orifice when the airbag deploys,” the company persisted. “A blockage of enough dimension will purpose an over pressurization and rupture of the inflator, resulting in the possible pressured propulsion of shrapnel or steel fragments from the inflator into the passenger compartment.”

For the reason that release of the ARC investigation in 2015, automakers — together with BMW, Ford and Volkswagen — have initiated 8 remembers to handle attainable protection defects with ARC airbag inflators.

Maximum just lately, Normal Motors referred to as again just about 1 million 2014-17 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia automobiles with the airbag inflators.

A minimum of 9 incidents globally — seven within the U.S. — of ruptured airbag inflators had been known in NHTSA’s still-open investigation of ARC. Of the ones, relationship from 2009 to as just lately as March, seven accidents and two deaths had been reported.

“Further inflator ruptures are anticipated to happen someday,” NHTSA warned in its determination, “risking extra severe accidents and deaths, if they aren’t recalled and changed.”