By Michael Wayland -
CNBC
The automobile brand Volvo Cars has recalled 460,769 older model cars worldwide for faulty airbags that could be fatal in the event of an accident.
The problem occurs when the airbag is triggered by a crash.
Inflator fragments inside the safety device can, in certain cases, be thrown and, in worst cases, hit an occupant causing serious injury or death, the company reported to US safety regulators.
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Volvo, owned by Geely, a Chinese multinational automotive production company that has recently confirmed its plans to go public, is aware of an incident that resulted in a fatality due to this problem, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The affected vehicles are older Volvo models.
They include the 2001-2006 S80 and 2001-2009 S60.
The vehicles were manufactured between May 2000 and March 2009.
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More than half of the vehicles - 259,383 - were sold in the United States.
Volvo reported that the problem occurs over time if the propellant pads of the airbag inflator are subjected to high levels of humidity and high temperatures.
The tablets can begin to break down and form dust particles, which increases the pressure and the "burn rate" of the devices.
These factors can cause the inflator to break and project metal fragments onto the occupants.
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“In the event of a crash in which the driver's airbag is activated, fragments of the inflator inside the airbag can, in certain cases, project outwards and, in the worst case, hit the driver, potentially causing serious injury or death, ”according to Volvo.
To remedy the problem, Volvo will replace the driver's airbag at no cost to the customer.
He plans to notify affected owners as early as next month to fix the vehicles.
Volvo has not disclosed the expected cost of airbag replacement, which can be expensive.
The massive recall of 67 million airbags from Japanese supplier Takata cost the auto industry billions of dollars and led to the company filing for bankruptcy.
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Airbag components for Volvo vehicles were supplied by Sweden-based AutoLiv and German car supplier ZF, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
