Auto advocacy group calls for expanded probe into Jeep fuel tank safety, Toyota Air Bag Recalls

Auto advocacy group calls for expanded probe into Jeep fuel tank safety

Jeep Cherokees on car lot.

March 3, 2016

The Center for Auto Safety, has asked the NHTSA to reopen their investigation of fuel tank ruptures and fires in some older models of Jeeps after contending that more modifications are needed. The group, founded in 1970 by consumer activist Ralph Nader cited several accidents, including one last April in which Fiat Chrysler was ordered to pay $150 million to the family of a 4-year-old boy who burned to death in a crash after a jury found the automaker was “reckless in its design” of the gas tank for the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the Jeep models as far back as 2010, when it found that the location of the plastic fuel tanks behind the rear axle made them more vulnerable to breaking in crashes, leading to fires. Although Fiat Chrysler insisted that the vehicles were comparable to other vehicles, they began recalling some 1.56 million 1993-2004 Grand Cherokees and 2002-2007 Libertys in 2013 to add trailer hitches to the rear of the vehicles to further protect the gas tanks. The recall is still ongoing. In fact, a letter sent to the federal regulators, dated February 2016, by the Center for Auto Safety noted that 14 more people were killed in crashes in “which fire was the most harmful event.”

The NHTSA has begun putting more pressure on automakers to more quickly disclose defects and finish recalls. In the meantime, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. announced yesterday that it was adding approximately 198,000 Model Year 2008 Corolla and Corolla Matrix and Model Year 2008-2010 Lexus SC430 vehicles to its recall list. As a precautionary measure to cover dual-stage front passenger airbags found to be susceptible to rupture during collisions. For more information, consumers can call Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331, or Lexus Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987, as well as visit the NHTSA online at nhtsa.gov.

• http://www.examiner.com/article/auto-advocacy-group-calls-for-expanded-probe-into-jeep-fuel-tank-safety

Rosekind: FAIL! NHTSA dismisses calls for widespread Takata recall

Takata recall expands again: 2008 Toyota Corolla, Matrix; 2008-2010 Lexus SC 430

 Richard Read
Mar 3, 2016

Toyota has announced an expansion of recalls related to Takata's fatally flawed airbags. According to the automaker, the 2008 Toyota Corolla, 2008 Toyota Matrix (aka the Toyota Corolla Matrix), and the 2008-2010 Lexus SC 430 will be added to the recall roster.

As with all Takata recalls, this one is designed to replace airbag inflators equipped with ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate is a notoriously unstable compound, and studies have shown that, in the presence of heat and moisture, airbags that use ammonium nitrate can become deadly weapons. To date, dozens of those devices have exploded upon deployment, pelting vehicle occupants with shrapnel and injuring more than 100. At least ten deaths have been linked to Takata's airbags.

Today's recall is meant to replace passenger-side airbag inflators. (As you might recall, the Takata recall has been frustratingly complicated, divvied up geographically and by separate recalls for driver- and passenger-side devices. Takata's unwillingness to cooperate with investigators hasn't helped matters.)

The recall affects roughly 198,000 vehicles registered in the U.S. Toyota says that owners will receive recall notices by mail, asking them to visit their local dealers, who will replace the airbag inflator or the airbag assembly, free of charge. 

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) is asking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall all vehicles with Takata airbags that rely on ammonium nitrate. If NHTSA were to agree to the Senator's request, it could add up to 90 million vehicles to the recall roster. 

However, NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind seems unlikely to go along with that idea. In a letter to Nelson, he notes that such a massive expansion of the Takata recall would complicate matters and slow down the recall process, which is already hampered by a shortage of replacement parts. 

The Senator may eventually get his wish, though. Takata has agreed to recall all devices equipped with ammonium nitrate in 2019 if the company can't prove that they're safe.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1102664_takata-recall-expands-again-2008-toyota-corolla-matrix-2008-2010-lexus-sc-430

NHTSA dismisses calls for widespread Takata recall

By Justin King

Thursday, Mar 3rd, 2016

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has dismissed calls for a much wider ruling on Takata's airbag inflators.


Some legislators have asked the NHTSA to demand a broader recall of every Takata inflator that uses ammonium-nitrate propellant. Safety advocates have claimed Takata covered up internal tests showing which inflators are prone to failure, while poor record keeping has further contributed to confusion.

Exemplifying the concerns, shrapnel injuries were blamed for a Ford Ranger driver's death in a recent accident. The passenger-side airbag had already been recalled, however the driver-side inflator was not deemed defective until after it had been associated with a fatality.

"A blanket recall of all inflaters would be easier to explain, but it would not serve safety and could run the risk of exceeding NHTSA's statutory authority," agency head Mark Rosekind wrote in a letter to a concerned senator, as quoted by The New York Times. 

Regulators have pushed for the highest-risk vehicles to be repaired first, including older models and those that have been operated in regions of high humidity. Both age and moisture have been cited as primary factors in propellant degradation and consequent explosions.

Despite Rosekind's dismissive comments of a total recall in the near term, a consent order with Takata requires the company to prove that its ammonium-nitrate inflators are safe. The remaining population, including tens of millions of inflators, could be deemed defective if the company cannot verify their safety by 2018.




Read more: http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-expands-takata-campaign-nhtsa-dismisses-total-recall-91149.html#ixzz423eRxCsg