BYDETROIT — U.S. auto safety regulators have backed away from seeking a giant recall of nearly 50 million air bag inflators and will investigate further after the auto industry raised questions about whether all of the inflators are defective.
But in a document posted Wednesday in the Federal Register and dated Dec. 13, the agency said it considered comments on a decision from July seeking the recall. The auto industry pointed to technical and engineering differences between ARC inflators in vehicles made by different manufacturers. The comments also raised manufacturing-process variations at different plants that made the ARC inflators.
“NHTSA will evaluate the responses to these information request along with all available information to determine how to proceed,” the agency’s memorandum said. “If appropriate, NHTSA will provide a further opportunity for public comment prior to considering whether to issue a final decision in this matter.”
In addition, the agency said 23 inflators have ruptured in testing with causes common to the inflators that blew apart in the field. Also, four inflators have ruptured outside the U.S., killing at least one person, the agency said.