Safety officials believe that ARC airbag inflators used by Porsche and other auto-makers are dangerously defective because they can explode and shoot out deadly metal shrapnel.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Porsche airbag induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured or died when a Porsche airbag exploded or failed to deploy, 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.
Porsche and 11 Other Auto-Makers May Need to Recall Airbags
The U.S. government is seeking to force a Tennessee-based company to recall driver and passenger airbag inflators that were used by Porsche and 11 other auto-makers in millions of vehicles nationwide.
What is the Problem?
After an 8-year investigation that began in 2015, safety officials concluded that around 52 million airbag inflators from ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive were defective because they could explode and eject deadly metal parts.
ARC Updates Manufacturing Process in 2018
ARC airbag inflators were manufactured in Tennessee between the year 2000 and January 2018, when ARC updated their manufacturing process to reduce the risk of metal debris causing the inflator to explode. No injuries or deaths have been linked to inflators that were manufactured after January 2018, according to the NHTSA.
What Happened?
Tragically, at least 2 deaths and 7 injuries have been linked to ARC airbag inflators that exploded and ejected sharp pieces of metal, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The deaths include a mother in Michigan with 10 children and a Canadian person who died in a low-speed crash when the airbags ruptured.
U.S. Safety Officials Request Recall for ARC Airbag Inflators
In April 2023, the NHTSA demanded that ARC and Delphi recall all 52 million airbag inflators that were manufactured before January 2018. ARC refused to issue a recall, blaming the issue on an “isolated” manufacturing problem.
In response, the NHTSA published an initial decision and scheduled a public meeting for October 5, 2023, to discuss their conclusions — a mandatory first step before the agency attempts to force ARC Automotive to issue a recall.
What is the Risk?
- Metal shrapnel injuries
- Wounds resemble a gun-shot, stabbing, or knife-injury
- Lacerations
- Severe bleeding
- Permanent scarring
- Blindness or vision loss
- Neck, face, or chest wounds due to metal shrapnel
- Car crash injuries due to the airbag failing to inflate
- Head injuries
- Broken bones
- Death
Explanation Of Manufacturing Problem Linked to ARC Airbag Ruptures
The manufacturing problem linked to ARC airbag explosions occurs during the welding process, when a machine is welding together the parts of a metal canister that contains the airbag inflator.
Inside the metal canister, there are chemicals that ignite when the airbag deploys and rapidly produces gases that are supposed to exit the inflator through a small hole, and fill up the airbag.
Instead, a manufacturing problem during the welding process sometimes produces extra debris called “weld slag” or “weld flash.” When the airbag is triggered, this debris plugs up the hole that was supposed to allow gases to escape and fill up the airbag.
Trapped gases rapidly pressurize the airbag inflator, causing the metal canister to blow apart. This explosion can eject sharp fragments of metal through the airbag and directly into a driver’s face, neck, chest, or body. Passengers may also suffer life-threatening injuries or death.
Do I have a Porsche Airbag Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Porsche airbag induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured or died when a Porsche airbag exploded or failed to deploy, 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.
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