Japan’s automakers are discussing whether drivers should regularly replace the chemicals used to inflate air bags as Takata inflator recalls continue.
Drivers may need to start having chemicals in their air bags swapped out because of degradation over time, Fumihiko Ike, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association and Honda Motor, said, according to Bloomberg News. The discussions follow recalls of over 20million vehicles and five deaths linked to Takata devices.
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“There will be discussions on whether chemicals need to be replaced after being used for some years,” Ike said during the association’s monthly press conference. “We have started informal discussions and it will be one of our subjects going forward.”
Bloomberg noted that Takata’s regulatory filings and patents reflect concerns about the stability of ammonium nitrate, the chemical used as propellant to inflate its air bags. The company and its automaker customers are investigating flawed manufacturing practices, the chemical’s exposure to moisture and degradation among other potential root causes that may explain why the devices can deploy with too much force, with metal and plastic pieces breaking apart and being shot at passengers.
“This should be a positive move to ensure airbag safety,” Takeshi Miyao, a Tokyo-based auto analyst at Carnorama Japan, told Bloomberg. “Degradation is extremely difficult to find or to predict before the cars are used.”
The association would share its views about any potential changes to air bag maintenance measures with Japan’s transport ministry, Ike said.
Rival air-bag inflator makers, such as Daicel, Nippon Kayaku, TRW Automotive Holdings and Autoliv would benefit if carmakers make changes to maintenance recommendations, according to Miyao.
Autoliv and Daicel may control more than half the global air bag inflator market by 2020 as Takata’s share shrinks, Scott Upham, an analyst at Valient Market Research who has followed air bags since they were first going into cars 25 years ago, told Bloomberg.
