Exploding Airbag Issue Much Bigger Than Thought
Research shows dozens of models have potentially dangerous part.

General Motors apparently has the greatest number of vehicles with the potentially dangerous airbag part: a minimum of 3.6 million.
IMAGE: Pexels/Dietmar Janssen
Research by the Wall Street Journal found that potentially explosive airbags are in 50 vehicle models across 15 brands, including Ford, Chevrolet and Hyundai.
The newspaper found a minimum of 6.8 million vehicles that automakers told U.S. regulators have the part in question as part of an eight-year investigation.
The number of effected vehicles should end up being far higher, though, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered parts manufacturer ARC Automotive to recall 67 million inflators used to fill airbags in a crash.
The airbags are prone to explosion in a collision, releasing shrapnel-like pieces of metal into the vehicle’s interior. At least two people have been killed and multiple others injured in such explosions, the newspaper said, citing the NHTSA.
ARC Automotive has said it won’t recall the part in question, denying that it’s defective.
The newspaper’s research found that General Motors apparently has the greatest number of vehicles with the potentially dangerous airbag part: a minimum of 3.6 million. GM has recalled four models, though the paper found that it has at least an additional 25 affected models that it hasn’t recalled.
LEARN MORE: Stellantis, Ford Issue Recalls
More Dealer Ops

Dealer Debrief: Defection Data & EV Updates
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses how to use defection data to your advantage and the latest on EV sales and charging infrastructure.
Read More →
How Defection Data is Bridging the Dealership Conversion Gap
Lead volume is flat, cross-shopping is up and brand loyalty is in retreat. As confident sales teams keep losing buyers they thought they had, daily industry sales data is showing dealers exactly where their funnel is breaking and how to fix it without buying a single new lead.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Where are you losing customers?
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses the hidden leaks in dealerships where you might be losing customers without even realizing it.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Improving Your Inventory Management
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence covers a new survey that shows what service technicians really want and two launches that could help improve your inventory and vehicle life cycle management.
Read More →
Ladies and Gentlemen, This Is a Dealership: Why the Fundamentals Still Decide Who Wins
A teaching moment by a legendary football coach happens to apply perfectly in the auto retail space. Learn what it is and how to use it to your store’s advantage.
Read More →
What Market Timing Mistakes Mean for Your Reinsurance Program
When volatility hits, dealer-owned reinsurance programs face a familiar temptation: pull back and wait for calmer waters. New data from BOK Financial shows why that instinct can quietly cost you years of surplus growth.
Read More →
Dealer Ads and the FTC
The agency has made it clear in recent enforcement actions and warnings, in auto retail and other industries, that advertised prices must include all nonoptional costs to the consumer.
Read More →
Used Autos Supply Dwindles
The March shopping surge, despite high prices, cut into inventory by the most since the thick of the pandemic, Cox Automotive analysts calculated.
Read More →
Managing Risk Effectively Through Changing Times
The variables influencing risk pricing have changed significantly over the past five years. Being proactive and responsive to emerging trends is not optional but essential.
Read More →
Survey Reveals What Won't Fix What's Breaking Car Sales
AutoPayPlus says extra-long auto loans are trapping consumers and threatening the dealer trade-in cycle, and that the industry is leveraging the wrong tools to combat high MSRPs.
Read More →
