Class Action Alleges Automakers, Parts Manufacturer Knowingly Sell Defective Air Bag Inflators 

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ARC Exploding Air Bag Inflator Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

• Who: Five drivers filed a class action lawsuit against General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen and ARC Automotive Inc.
• Why: The drivers claim the automakers knowingly sold vehicles containing defective air bag inflators that ARC manufactured that are prone to exploding. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court. 

General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen knowingly sold vehicles containing ARC Automotive air bag inflators that are prone to exploding, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Five owners of vehicles containing air bag inflators ARC manufactured claim the companies did not disclose the vehicles contained defective air bags at the time of purchase, The Associated Press reports. 

Air bags using ARC inflators have been linked to explosions resulting in two deaths and at least four injuries, according to the air bag class action. 

Drivers claim there is no way for them to know if their vehicles contain airbags with ARC inflators, which the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been investigating for almost seven years, the AP reports. 

The NHTSA estimates between 10% and 20% of all vehicles on the road in the United States contain airbags with ARC inflators, which comes out to around 51 million vehicles. 

Air Bag Class Action Claims Defective ARC Inflator Can Explode, Send Metal Shards Into Cabin

Drivers claim ARC inflators use a propellant that is pressed into tabs. The inflators can become defective when exposed to moisture, leading to an explosion that can send metal shards into the cabin of the vehicle, the AP reports. 

Defective ARC inflators have led to a total of seven explosions on U.S. roads and twice during internal testing, according to the air bag class action. 

The issue has led to five limited recalls for the ARC inflators, including three by GM, affecting around 5,000 vehicles, the AP reports. 

Defunct air bag manufacturer Takata had a similar issue with exploding airbags that led it to recall vehicles back in 2013. As of today, tens of millions of vehicles containing Takata airbags have been recalled. 

As of August of last year, meanwhile, the NHTSA reported that 14 million vehicles containing defective Takata airbags still remain on the road.

Last month, GM recalled 2,687 of its 2015 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia SUVs over concerns they contained airbags that could explode. 

Have you owned a vehicle that was recalled due to a defective ARC inflator? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Niall Padraic McCarthy of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP.

The Air Bag Inflator Class Action Lawsuit is Britton, et al. v. ARC Automotive Inc., et al., Case No. 3:22-cv-03053-JCS in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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