Takata Altered Airbag Inflator Formula in 2008

Takata Corp. changed the formulation for its airbag inflator propellant in 2008 specifically to reduce the risk of explosion caused by exposure to humidity, sources tell Bloomberg News.

Takata has repeatedly pointed to high humidity as a factor in making its inflators more likely to misfire. The company revealed early this year it had revised the composition of the propellant. But it has never publicly acknowledged it did so to address humidity concerns.

Bloomberg notes that such a disclosure could expose Takata to more lawsuits. Takata has declined to comment on the ultimate size of its exposure, saying such estimates at this point would be guesswork.

Most of the 34 million vehicles now targeted in the U.S. for recall to replace Takata inflators were produced before 2008. But regulators and carmakers worry there is no guarantee that the replacement inflators won't also develop flaws over time.