Mexican Media Brands
Japan Bans Takata Airbag Inflators that Use Discredited Propellant
Japan’s transport ministry has declared a ban on the future use of airbag inflators that use ammonium nitrate as the propellant.
#regulations
Share
Japan’s transport ministry has declared a ban on the future use of airbag inflators that use ammonium nitrate as the propellant.
The policy targets devices made by Takata Corp. that have been implicated in the recall of some 40 million vehicles by a dozen carmakers over the past six years. Takata’s inflators, which can degrade and then explode when triggered by a crash, have been blamed for eight fatalities and more than 100 injuries.
Japan’s ban is broader in scope but nearly identical in its elements to the one imposed last month by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both decrees will ban inflators that use ammonium nitrate by 2018 and leave open the option of recalling such devices made between now and then if they are proven unreliable.
Takata’s customers are already abandoning the company’s design. Honda, which has been Takata’s biggest customer, was quickly joined last month by Mazda, Nissan and Toyota in declaring they are halting their use of Takata inflators.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Tesla Maxes Out on Tax Credit as U.S. Sales Reach 200,000
Tesla Inc. says it will deliver its 200,000th electric vehicle in the U.S. this month, thereby triggering a phase-out of the $7,500 federal tax credit its vehicles have enjoyed.
-
Feds Probe Another Tesla Crash Involving Autopilot Feature
Federal investigators are looking into another crash involving a Tesla Model S electric sedan that was operating in semi-autonomous mode.
-
Dubai to Test Digital License Plates
Next month Dubai will begin testing digital license plates that can display various messages, make payments and conduct other transactions.