Detroit - The motor industry, fed up with slow progress in finding out why some airbags explode with too much force, has turned to a Virginia rocket science company for help in investigating the problem.
Ten car companies whose vehicles have been recalled because of problems with Takata airbags have jointly hired Orbital ATK to figure out the problem. The Washington DC-based company makes rocket propulsion systems, small arms ammunition, warhead fuses and missile controls.
The companies also named David Kelly, a former acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as project manager for the investigation.
Airbag inflators made by Takata can explode with too much force, sending shrapnel into car cabins. At least six people have been killed and 64 injured due to the problems, which surfaced a decade ago. So far, about 17 million cars and trucks have been recalled in the US and 22 million worldwide to replace the inflators, but Takata has been unable to pinpoint the cause. The company has known about the problems since at least 2004.
ROCKET SCIENCE?
Takata uses ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that quickly inflates its air bags. But government investigators say the chemical can burn faster than designed if exposed to prolonged airborne moisture. That can cause it to blow apart a metal canister meant to contain the explosion. Carmakers, Takata and the government all want to find out just how much humidity and time it takes to cause the problem, both of which are unknown.
Orbital ATK has the ability to quickly simulate the impact of humidity on the propellant over long periods of time, which is key to finding out the cause, Kelly said in an interview. The company will test airbag inflators that were taken from cars that have been repaired under recalls.
“The Orbital team has a tremendous amount of experience in being able to test that and being able to look at burn rates on a large scale,” he said.
A PROBLEM IN AGING CARS
Long-term stability of airbag propellant is important because cars are staying on the road for 10 or 15 years, much longer than in the past, Kelly said.
He wouldn't estimate how long it might take to find a cause. “We don't want to prejudge that process. It is much more important for us to get the answer right than to get the answer back,” Kelly said.
Orbital ATK will share data with Takata and government safety investigators. Once a cause is found, it will be disclosed to all stakeholders and the public, Kelly said.
The carmakers, led by Toyota, include BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru. Several said privately they hired Orbital to speed up the investigation.
Takata said it welcomes Orbital and Kelly and will work with them and NHTSA on the investigation. The company said it has been in contact with carmakers and will support their investigation by sharing results of its own testing.
Takata is being fined $14 000 per day by NHTSA for allegedly failing to cooperate in the government's probe of the problem, an accusation that Takata denies. Fines began February 20 and have grown to $98 000 so far.
Sapa-AP