ARC® Airbag Lawsuit | ARC Airbag Lawyer, Attorney

About 52 million airbag inflators can potentially explode and shoot out of metal shrapnel that can injure or kill people in the vehicle, even after minor fender-benders.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting ARC Airbag induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured or killed by metal from an ARC airbag explosion, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

NHTSA Seeks Recall for 52 Million Exploding Airbags

About 52 million airbag inflators from ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive Systems between 2000 and 2018 are defective because they “could explode, hurl shrapnel and injure or kill people,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

NHTSA investigators have found reports of 2 deaths and 7 injuries linked to metal shrapnel exploding out of the airbags between 2009 and 2023, according to an investigative report published in August 2023.

What is the Problem?

The problem has been linked to welding debris that is sometimes produced during the manufacturing process for a metal canister that houses the airbag inflator.

If the welding debris is big enough, it can clog a vent inside the metal inflator canister that was supposed to let gas escape to rapidly fill up the airbags after a crash. If the vent get clogged, the metal canister can blow apart, shooting out metal shrapnel that injures or kills people.

Metal shrapnel can also cause the airbag to fail to inflate properly in a collision, which also presents a life-threatening safety hazard to drivers and passengers in the vehicle.

ARC Automotive Fixes Airbag Problem in January 2018

ARC Automotive updated their manufacturing process in January 2018, which significantly reduced the risk of debris being left behind inside the airbag inflator. No injuries or deaths have been linked to inflators that were made after January 2018, according to the NHTSA.

ARC Refuses to Recall Airbag Inflators

The NHTSA requested a recall back in April 2023, but ARC Automotive refused to issue a recall for airbag inflators made before January 2018. Instead, ARC insists that any problems are linked to “isolated” manufacturing issues that are inevitable in high-volume production.

Who Is ARC Automotive?

ARC Automotive is an auto-parts manufacturer that is based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The company was acquired by the Chinese real estate developer Yinyi Group in 2016.

Between 2000 and January 2018, ARC manufactured approximately 41 million driver-side and passenger-side airbag inflators that the NHTSA is seeking to recall.

From July 2001 though 2004, Delphi Automotive Systems also manufactured about 11 million driver-side airbag inflators under a licensing agreement with ARC Automotive.

Does My Vehicle Contain an ARC Airbag?

There is not yet a complete list of vehicles that contain potentially-defective airbag inflators from ARC Automotive and Delphi.

Between 2000 and January 2018, ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive manufactured about 52 million airbag inflators that could potentially rupture and explode deadly pieces of metal shrapnel.

Safety officials estimate that about 33 million vehicles are still on the road today with potentially deadly ARC or Delphi airbag inflators.

Which Auto-Makers Used ARC Airbag Inflators?

ARC and Delphi airbag inflators were installed in vehicles from 12 different auto-makers, although a complete list of vehicles has not been provided because the vast majority have not been recalled yet.

The list of 12 auto-makers includes:

2 Deaths Linked to ARC Airbag Explosions

Two deaths have been linked to ARC airbag explosions, according to the NHTSA:

In August 2021, a 39-year-old mother with 10 children was hit and killed by metal that blew out of an ARC airbag inflator when her 2015 Chevrolet Traverse SUV was hit by another vehicle in Michigan. She was stuck in the neck and bled to death, according to a wrongful death lawsuit that was filed against ARC Automotive by her family.
In July 2016, a driver in Canada was killed by metal that blew out of a driver-side airbag inflator manufactured by ARC Automotive. The victim was driving a 2009 Hyundai Elantra when they were involved in a minor collision. “The incident was a low-speed collision, which was expected to be survivable,” according to CBC News.

7 Serious Injuries Linked to ARC Airbag Explosions

NHTSA investigators found reports of 7 people who were injured by metal that blew out of an ARC airbag inflator between 2009 and 2023, including:

January 2009 — Driver severely injured by metal from a driver airbag inflator that ruptured in a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan in Ohio.
April 2014 — Driver hit in the face and legs by metal that blew out of a driver airbag inflator made by Delphi Automotive in a 2004 Kia Optima in New Mexico.
September 2017 — Driver hit in the face and head by metal that blew out of a driver airbag inflator that ruptured in a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu in Pennsylvania.
October 2021 — Driver hit in the face by metal that blew out of a driver airbag that ruptured in a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse in Kentucky.
December 2021 — Driver and passenger were both hit by metal and injured when a passenger-side airbag ruptured in a 2016 Audi A3 e-Tron.
March 2023 — Driver hit in the face and injured by metal that blew out of a driver-side airbag in a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse in Michigan.

Types of ARC Airbag Inflators

ARC Automotive made a wide range of driver and passenger airbags, including the following models:

AHS Hybrid Inflators
CH5-30mm Hybrid Inflators
CH5-35mm Hybrid Inflators
Dual-Level CADH Hybrid Inflators
Dual-Level G2P Hybrid Passenger Inflators
Dual-Level PH5.1 Hybrid Inflators
Dual-Level PH7 (120) Hybrid Inflators
MPD Pyro Inflators
SH5 Hybrid Inflators
Single-Level CADH/DH7 Hybrid Inflators
Single-Level DH8 Hybrid Inflators
Single-Level G2P Hybrid Passenger Inflators
Single-Level G2P+ Hybrid Passenger Inflators
Single-Level G2Ps Hybrid Passenger Inflators
Single-Level PH5.1 Hybrid Inflators
Single-Level PH7 (120) Hybrid Inflators
Single-Level PH7 (90) Hybrid Inflators

Do I have an ARC Airbag Lawsuit?

Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.

ARC Airbag Lawsuit