Overview
The most recent injury linked to an exploding ARC inflator occurred in a General Motors (GM) vehicle, according to the Eagle-Tribune.
As a result of the incident, General Motors announced it would recall 1,145 Chevrolet Malibu sedans from model years 2010 and 2011. GM claims the recent incident is the only injury to be reported among the 1.2 million vehicles it has manufactured that came stock with ARC inflators.
The automaker says it’s recalling all the vehicles with inflators made in the same production lot identified by ARC. Dealerships will inspect inflators that are replaced, the company said.
“If we find a defect trend beyond the recalled vehicles, we will take appropriate action,” the statement said.
Free Confidential Class Action Lawsuit Evaluation: Our lawyers are currently wishing to speak with anyone who has been injured by an allegedly defective airbag component. If you suffered damages, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit and we can help.
What’s the Problem?
Critics say the lagging pace of the investigation is emblematic of a bloated government agency that for years has done little to regulate the auto industry or protect motorists on U.S. roads and highways.
“That’s really unacceptable,” said Rosemary Shahan, president of California-based Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety. “NHTSA should have gotten on top of it sooner, It’s just really painfully obvious that it’s a (safety) defect.”
NHTSA’s official response is that the investigation is still ongoing “as we continue to review information with ARC and the vehicle manufacturers that may have had ARC inflators installed,” according to an agency spokeswoman, who failed to elaborate further.
Is the ARC Inflator Problem the Same as Takata?
ARC airbag inflators are similar — but not identical — to the infamous Takata airbag inflators, which have been recalled globally and linked to at least 23 deaths worldwide. Both ARC and Takata inflators use the explosive chemical ammonium nitrate to generate the considerable force needed to deploy airbags rapidly in the event of a crash. However, ARC inflators use ammonium nitrate only as a secondary method of inflating the bags. To date, there has only been only one known death linked to ARC inflators, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Do I Have an Airbag Injury Class Action Lawsuit?
The Class Action Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in airbag lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.
Free Case Evaluation: Again, if you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident involving a faulty airbag deployment, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation and our lawyers can help.