GM airbag recall delayed
Safety advocate says decision in U.S. to give company time smacks of a ‘backroom deal’
DETROIT— U.S. auto safety regulators are allowing General Motors to delay a large recall of potentially defective airbags, giving the company time to prove that the devices are safe and to possibly avoid a huge financial hit.
The unusual move by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) buys time for GM to do long-term tests of Takata airbag inflators in older trucks and SUVs, including its top-selling vehicle, the Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
GM reluctantly agreed to recall 2.5 million vehicles in May to replace Takata front-passenger inflators. The company said at the time its inflators are unique and safer than those linked to 11 deaths in the U.S. and as many as 16 worldwide.
The company petitioned for the delay last week and the government agreed Monday. The decision delays the recall until Aug. 31, 2017. If GM can prove that the inflators are safe by that time, the recall could be cancelled. The recall also covers the GMC Sierra pickup and many popular full-size SUVs from the 2007 to 2011 model years. Some of the trucks are older than the minimum six years that it takes for Takata inflators to deteriorate and become risky. But GM contends its tests show they are safe for at least 3 1⁄ more years.
2 The testing could help GM fend off several recalls totalling 6.8 million trucks and SUVs with the same inflators that ultimately could cost the company $870 million, according to a GM filing with securities regulators. Another batch of recalls is slated to start Dec. 31. The delay also pushes the decision into the administration of president-elect Donald Trump, who has stated that he wants to get rid of unnecessary government regulation.
GM said the timing of its filings was motivated by upcoming NHTSA deadlines. “Any other conclusion is just speculation,” it said in a statement.
One auto safety advocate called the decision a backroom deal and questioned whether it would keep people safe.
Takata uses ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags in a crash. Tests show the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged high temperatures and airborne moisture. That can make it burn too fast, blowing apart a metal canister and flinging shrapnel into drivers and passengers.
NHTSA’s decision will delay the recall by about two months. GM has said it will take until June of 2017 to design and manufacture replacement inflators. GM will continue engineering and will be ready if NHTSA decides the recall should happen. The GM case began when Takata filed papers with the government declaring that 40 million inflators in vehicles from 17 auto manufacturers were defective and should be recalled. The addition pushed the number of recalled inflators to about 70 million, compounding what already was the largest auto recall in U.S. history. The recalls would be phased in through December of 2019 as replacement parts become available.
In its petition seeking the delay, GM said 52,000 airbags in its trucks SUVs have inflated in crashes and none has ruptured.