Fox Business Briefs: Takata remembers another 10 million airbags amid fears they could explode due to faulty inflatable machines; Virgin Galactic reports that all the key structural elements of its second rocket plane have been assembled.
DETROIT – The U.S. government’s highway safety agency has rejected a request from Ford and Mazda to avoid calling in about 3 million vehicles with potentially dangerous Takata airbag inflatables.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday the ammonium nitrate propellant used to inflate the driver’s airbags shows signs of decay and poses a safety hazard.
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The companies now have 30 days to give the agency a schedule to notify owners of it and start the recall.
Vehicles included are the Ford Ranger from 2007 to 2011; the 2006 to 2012 Ford Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln MKZ; the Mercury Milan from 2006 to 2011; the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX from 2007 to 2010. Mazda’s 2007 to 2009 B-Series small pickups are also covered.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | Alter | Alter% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 10.02 | +0.19 | + 1.93% |
Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags during an accident. But the chemical can deteriorate over time if exposed to high heat and humidity and can burn too quickly, by blowing a metal tube apart and throwing scrapers at drivers and passengers.
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The airbags caused at least 27 deaths worldwide, including 18 in the United States. About 400 were injured.
The problem has caused the largest series of car recalls in U.S. history, with at least 67 million inflating machines recalled by 19 car manufacturers. A monitor appointed by the court reports that 50 million have been repaired or otherwise set off since the beginning of January. About 100 million inflatables have been recalled worldwide.
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All of the vehicles announced Tuesday have a moisture-absorbing chemical in the inflatables that are safe according to Ford and Mazda. But the security agency disagreed and denied the carmaker’s request to avoid the recall.
The Ford and Mazda inflatables are the earliest generation by Takata to use calcium sulfate as a desiccant. In its decision to deny the Ford petition, NHTSA wrote that the ammonium nitrate could break down, a sign that it could explode too aggressively. “The evidence makes it clear that these inflating machines pose a significant safety risk,” the agency wrote.
NHTSA has determined that 56 million other inflatable machines with various moisture-absorbing chemicals are safe and do not need to be recalled.
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The agency urges people to look at open reminders of their vehicles on their website. Owners must enter their 17-digit vehicle identification number, which is usually printed on government registration documents.