U.S. Opens Probe of Second Airbag Inflator Supplier

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into two reports of ruptured driver-side airbag inflators made by Knoxville, Tenn.-based ARC Automotive Inc.

The agency's probe covers 420,000 two-stage inflators used in Fiat Chrysler Automobile NV's 2002 model Chrysler Town and Country minivans and 70,000 single-stage inflators installed in Kia Motors Corp. 2004 model Optima sedans.

NHTSA received one report for each type of inflator and notes it isn't yet clear if the same problem caused both ruptures.

ARC says its devices are hermetically sealed in a steel housing and thus are isolated from external atmospheric conditions. High humidity and ambient temperatures are thought to be key factors in the explosions of inflators made by rival Takata Corp. that have so far been blamed for eight fatalities and more than 100 injuries.

ARC's hybrid inflator design uses two sources of gas to inflate an airbag: a container of inert gas under high pressure and a pyrotechnic device that uses ammonium nitrate, the same propellant found in Takata's recalled inflators.