Takata Corporation has become well known as a lesson in product safety, thanks to their deadly airbags which were installed in cars worldwide. Despite filing for bankruptcy in 2017, their shadow lingers on as the biggest product recall in history continues to grow ever larger. Over time, the story grows deeper, as investigators find new causes for concern and deaths continue to mount.
In late 2019, another Takata recall was announced — one which caused fresh worry among industry officials familiar with the case. Up to this point, the defective parts produced by Takata were the models based on ammonium nitrate propellants, a chemical that other manufacturers had deemed too dangerous to use. However, there have been reports of other models using different chemistries having fatally injuring motorists, raising the question of whether any Takata airbag could be considered safe.
Problems, Plural
The airbag deployment in a BMW vehicle in which a man was injured, suspected to be caused by the Takata airbag deployment. Source: NT Police, Australia
After years of research, both internally and by outside investigators, the problem seemed settled. Takata had chosen to use a propellant that became unstable over time, thus leading to overpressure events which could destroy the metal airbag casing, causing injuries and fatalities to drivers and passengers. It was believed that this affected only the phase-stabilised ammonium nitrate (PSAN) airbag inflators. This chemistry was only used by Takata, as other manufacturers had deemed it too dangerous for practical use.
In 2019, everything changed with the first recalls for Takata’s NADI 5-AT inflators. NADI stands for Non-Azide Driver Inflators, which use a tetrazole propellant, widely considered safe when used properly. Takata NADI airbags in cars ..
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