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Fingers point to dragged-out NHTSA investigation after second death by ARC airbag inflator

Safety advocates have increased criticism of the federal government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after an exploding airbag inflator that's been under investigation for more than six years killed a second person.  On Wednesday, NHTSA posted recall documents filed by General Motors that revealed the second death, the driver of a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse SUV with an inflator made by Tennessee company ARC blew apart, spewing shrapnel. No details were given about where and when the death occurred. NHTSA has said that ARC Automotive of Knoxville has manufactured about 8 million inflators used nationwide in vehicles made by General Motors, Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis), Kia and Hyundai. “NHTSA should have been all over this along time ago,” said Rosemary Shahan, president of California-based Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety. “There's just no denying that itÂ’s a (safety) defect.” NHTSA, the agency charged with with keeping America's automobiles and roads safe, began investigating ARC inflators in July of 2015 after two people were injured by flying shrapnel. The investigation became more urgent in 2016, when a Canadian woman driving an older Hyundai Elantra was killed by metal airbag fragments. Public records show only a little progress on the probe. In April, the agency posted a memo in saying it was reviewing volumes of information it received from ARC. Safety advocates such as Shahan say that the dragged-out investigation is an example of the deadly consequences that can result from an understaffed and underfunded agency. The second death should not have happened, Shahan said, and vehicles with faulty ARC inflators should have been recalled faster. The agency, Shahan said, is “grossly underfunded," but it still should have sought recalls of the ARC inflators. She said historically NHTSA has taken little action during Republican administrations but has ramped up safety efforts when Democrats control the White House. Messages were left Wednesday by the Associated Press seeking comment from NHTSA and ARC. At this time, relatively few vehicles are effected. The GM recall covers only 550 Chevy Traverse SUVs from the 2013 through 2017 model years, as well as Buick Enclave SUVs from 2008 through 2017. The automaker said in a statement that the faulty front driver's airbag inflators were either installed at the factory or in replacement airbag modules.

GM recalls over 230,000 more Trailblazer-family SUVs over door electronics

Back in August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a recall on the General Motors GMT360 SUVs (Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7X) ranging from the 2005 to 2007 model years and the 2006 GMT370 SUVs (Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL) due to potential fires associated with the driver's door module. Initially limited to 250,000 units sold or registered in 20 Snow Belt states (and the District of Columbia), the recall has now been expanded to include an additional 193,000 of these SUVs in the US and, according to The Detroit News, 40,000 more sold outside the US, including Canada and Mexico.
Like the original recall, the issue is still a faulty driver's door module that can short out, which could lead to a fire. The Detroit News is reporting that, out of the 443,000 units being recalled, GM says that there were 58 fires that caused 11 minor injuries, and the expanded recall accounted for six fires and one injury. Despite the lower number of fires, the recall notice recommends that owners park their vehicles until the recall repairs has been performed.
On recalled units with functional modules, the repair consists of a protective coating being applied to the module, while vehicles with modules that are not working properly will have the driver's door module replaced. The official recall notice is posted below, and it includes contact information for customers of all five brands.

Sunday Drive: A tale of old favorites and upcoming challengers

Sedans and crossovers dominated the attention of our readers last week, led by the completely redesigned 2018 Honda Accord. It's the Japanese automaker's flagship, and people are seriously interested in finding out how good the latest Accord is. So interested, in fact, that no other single story came close to the brand-new Accord in Autoblog reader interest. Moving down the list we find the equally new 2018 Buick Enclave. The three-row crossover has a lot to offer a family, especially one looking for a nice, quiet ride. If you're looking for the exact opposite of nice and quiet, but still want enough room for you and your significant others, the Subaru WRX that we tested last week may be the perfect ride for you. Or, if you just want to drive fast and aren't at all worried about space, there's the Camaro SS. See? We offer something for everybody. From there, we look to the future. Who isn't interested in seeing the first fully electric vehicle from Porsche? And who isn't intrigued to see the Mission E testing alongside a gaggle of Teslas? A brand-new Jeep is always a big deal, especially when it's the revival of a classic nameplate like the Grand Wagoneer. And finally, we have something completely different: the Rezvani Tank. As always, tune in to Autoblog next week for a front-row seat to all the happenings worth following in the automotive industry. 2018 Honda Accord First Drive | Feels like home again 2018 Buick Enclave First Drive Review | Fortress of quietude 2018 Subaru WRX Drivers' Notes | Turbo traditionalist 2018 Chevy Camaro SS Drivers' Notes | Demonstrative power, middling interior Porsche Mission E caught testing against Teslas Jeep three-row SUV caught on public roads — Grand Wagoneer, perhaps? Rezvani Tank: It's like a Hot Wheels car brought to life Green Buick Chevrolet Honda Jeep Porsche Subaru Crossover SUV Electric Future Vehicles Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Performance Sedan porsche mission e sunday drive