The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has denied Ford Motor Company's petition to deem a defect in Takata-supplied airbag inflators as insignificant regarding vehicle safety. Takata identified a safety defect in its driver-side airbag inflators that Ford argued was inconsequential and requested exemption from recall obligations. However, NHTSA concluded that Ford did not sufficiently prove that the defect posed an insignificant risk, given the potential for the inflator to rupture and cause serious injury or death due to degradation over time. As a result, Ford is required to notify vehicle owners and provide a remedy for this defect.
Simple Explanation
Ford wanted to skip fixing a problem with airbag parts that could blow up and hurt people, but the safety people said no, Ford has to fix it to keep everyone safe.