WASHINGTON, Sept 5 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators said Tuesday that 52 million air bag inflators produced by auto suppliers ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive need to be recalled because they may rupture and send dangerous metal fragments flying.
Initially, the NHTSA said 67 million air bag inflators were unsafe, but on Tuesday it corrected that estimate to account for "over-inclusive responses reported to the agency by certain manufacturers over the course of the investigation."
GM in May agreed to recall nearly 1 million vehicles with ARC air bag inflators after a rupture in March resulted in facial injuries to a driver.
Delphi Automotive, acquired by Autoliv (ALV.N), manufactured approximately 11 million of the inflators under a licensing agreement with ARC, which manufactured the remaining 41 million inflators.
The NHTSA has been scrutinizing air bag inflator ruptures for more than 15 years.
Persons:
David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis, Leslie Adler
Organizations:
ARC Automotive, Delphi, Traffic Safety Administration, ARC, General Motors, Ford Motor, Toyota, Volkswagen, NHTSA, GM, Delphi Automotive, Autoliv, Thomson
Locations:
United States