Acura Preliminary Evaluation PE14016: Air Bag Inflator Rupture
2002 Acura TL
![CarComplaints.com Seal Of Avoid Like The Plague](http://cdn2.carcomplaints.com/img/seals/worst.png)
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Air Bags
Air Bags:Frontal
- Summary
- The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with consistently high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly, ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016, four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016, four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The PE is now closed/upgraded to an Engineering Evaluation (EA15-001) to include all manufacturersand vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's EA investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The recalls related to this PE are: 14V343, 14V344, 14V348, 14V351, 14V353, 14V655, 14V700, 14V701, 14V752, 14V763, 14V770, 14V773, 14V787, 14V802 and 14V817.The number of vehicles affected are an estimate since some vehicles may have both the driver and passenger side inflators recalled. The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492
- Documents (76)
- MFR IR RESPONSE DATA - ATTACHMENT 1 - SEPTEMBER 9/16/14. * 09/23/2014 * p
- MEMO TO FILE: TAKATA VIDEO CONFERENCE NOTICE - AUGUST19, 2014. * 09/25/2014 * p
- MFR IR RESPONSE DATA - ATTACHMENT 1 - AUGUST. * 09/25/2014 * p
- MFR IR RESPONSE DATA - ATTACHMENT 1 - JULY. * 09/25/2014 * p
- CHRYSLER 11/26 RESPONSE (1) TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S 11/25 LETTER. * 12/10/2014 * p
- CHRYSLER 11/26 RESPONSE (2) TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S 11/25 LETTER. * 12/10/2014 * p
- MEMO TO FILE: TAKATA VIDEO CONFERENCE NOTICE JULY 11, 2014 - REVISED. 10/03/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO BMW DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO CHRYSLER DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO FORD DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO HONDA DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO GM DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO MITSUBISHI DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO SUBARU DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO TOYOTA DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO TAKATA DATED 10/29/14.
- LETTER TO ENF/ODI FROM MFR - LETTER FROM TAKATA DATED JUNE 11, 2014. * 06/18/2014 * p
- SPECIAL ORDER TO TK HOLDINGS INC DATED 10/30/2014
- Special Order to Honda from NHTSA dated 11/5/14
- LETTER TO ENF/ODI FROM MFR - REVISED LETTER FROM TAKATA DATED 6/25/14. * 06/27/2014 * p
- MEMO TO FILE: MY 2004-05 FORD RANGER DAB INFLATOR DATED 11/3/14.
- BMW RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- FORD RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- MAZDA RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- NISSAN RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMIISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- TOYOTA RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- CHRYSLER COVER LETTER TO RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- CHRYSLER REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIALITY FOR RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/20/2014 *
- MEMO TO FILE REF. ADDITION OF MY 2007 FORD MUSTANG TO THE SCOPE OF PE14016. * 11/20/2014 * p
- UPDATED HONDA RESPONSE DATED 11/19/14 TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/21/2014 * p
- SUBARU UPDATED RESPONSE 11/06/14 TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER 10/29/14, WITH ORIGINAL 11/5/14 RESPONSE INCLUDED. * 11/21/2014 * p
- CHRYSLER RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/21/2014 * p
- DAVID FRIEDMAN 11-25-14 LETTER TO CHRYSLER. * 11/26/2014 * p
- RECALL REQUEST LETTER TO TAKATA DATED 11/26/14.
- UPDATED HONDA RESPONSE LETTER 11/26/14, RESPONDING TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S 10/296/14 LETTER. * 12/01/2014 * p
- GENERAL ORDER TO MANUFACTURERS. * 12/03/2014 * p
- HONDA 12/3/14 RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S 10/29/14 LETTER. * 12/04/2014 * p
- HONDA'S RESPONSE TO SPECIAL ORDER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- FORD SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE TO DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S OCTOBER 29, 2014 LETTER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- NISSAN SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE TO DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S OCTOBER 29, 2014 LETTER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- MITSUBISHI SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE TO DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S OCTOBER 29, 2014 LETTER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- MITSUBISHI\MMC'S RESPONSE TO THE GENERAL ORDER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- NISSAN'S RESPONSE TO THE GENERAL ORDER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- SUBARU'S RESPONSE TO THE GENERAL ORDER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- VW INITIAL NARRATIVE RESPONSE TO SPECIAL ORDER SSI-20. * 10/30/2015 * p
- VW COMPLETE SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE TO SPECIAL ORDER SSI-20.* 10/30/2015 * p
- VW SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE DATED OCTOBER 1, 2015 TO SPECIAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- HONDA SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSES TO DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S OCTOBER 29, 2014 LETTER. * 10/30/2015 * P
- TK HOLDINGS NARRATIVE RESPONSE TO SECOND SPECIAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- TK HOLDINGS INITIAL NARRATIVE RESPONSE TO SPECIAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- TK HOLDINGS NARRATIVE RESPONSE TO GENERAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- BMW RESPONSE TO GENERAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- BMW FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE TO GENERAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- FCA RESPONSE TO GENERAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- FORD RESPONSE TO GENERAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- HONDA RESPONSE TO GENERAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- CLOSING RESUME APPROVED
- LETTER TO TAKATA - VIOLATION OF SPECIAL ORDER * 02/20/2015 * P
- HONDA SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE TO GENERAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- GM RESPONSE TO GENERAL ORDER. * 10/30/2015 * p
- TOYOTA FINAL GENERAL ORDER RESPONSE (REDACTED). * 11/02/2015 * p
- OPENING RESUME APPROVED
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO MAZDA DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S REQUEST LETTER TO NISSAN DATED 10/29/14. * 10/29/2014 * p
- MAZDA SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE TO DEPUTY FRIEDMAN'S OCTOBER 29, 2014 LETTER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- FORD'S RESPONSE TO RECALL REQUEST LETTER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- MAZDA'S RESPONSE TO THE GENERAL ORDER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- HONDA RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- MITSUBISHI'S INTERIM UPDATE TO THE GENERAL ORDER-COVER LETTER. * 10/29/2015 * p
- MITSUBISHI MOTORS RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- GM RESPONSE TO DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FRIEDMAN'S LETTER DATED 10/29/14. * 11/19/2014 * p
- MEMO TO FILE: TAKATA VIDEO CONFERENCE NOTICE SEPT. 16, 2014 * 09/25/2014 * p
- MEMO TO FILE: TAKATA VIDEO CONFERENCE NOTICE - AUGUST 19, 2014 - REVISED. * 10/03/2014 * p
- MEMO TO FILE: TAKATA VIDEO CONFERENCE NOTICE - JULY11, 2014. * 09/25/2014 * p
- SECOND SPECIAL ORDER TO TAKATA. * 12/03/2014 * p
- MEMO TO FILE: TAKATA VIDEO CONFERENCE NOTICE - SEPTEMBER 16, 2014 - REVISED. * 10/03/2014 * p
Click a tab for more information.