Panel Blames Multiple Factors for Takata Airbag Inflator Failures

Takata Corp. airbag inflator failures linked to at least 10 deaths and 130 injuries are caused by a combination of their design, propellant and prolonged exposure to hot and humid conditions, according to a group of 10 carmakers.

The findings of the Independent Testing Coalition are in line with the suspicions of experts. The panel says all three factors must occur together to cause an inflator to explode when triggered in a crash. Takata notes the findings agree with its own tests and those conducted on its behalf by the Fraunhofer Group in Germany.

Researchers say the ammonium nitrate propellant Takata uses in its inflators is sensitive to humidity. If humidity changes the composition of the pucks used in the devices, they can burn too quickly when ignited. The result is a pressure surge that may burst the inflator’s metal container and spew shrapnel into the passenger compartment. ITC says the Takata inflators they examined may fail to block moisture.

ITC’s tests of some 2,000 inflators were conducted over the past year by aerospace contractor Orbital ATK. The company evaluated four Takata inflator designs involved in existing recalls. But it didn’t test the design involved in more than 5 million additional devices targeted in the U.S. by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month.

Orbital says it will now evaluate the effectiveness of a revised Takata propellant blend introduced a few years ago that adds a desiccant to control moisture. Tests also will attempt to determine whether Takata’s replacement inflators perform better than the original devices.