Honda Divulges 28 Takata Airbag Explosions in Brazil

by Kevin Fitzgerald on September 14, 2018

Brazil’s First Reported Takata Airbag Victim

On September 9, 2018 Auto Esporte identified the first reported victim of a Takata airbag inflator rupture in Brazil. Tiago Ferreira, 32, was driving to work in his 2007 Honda Civic on August 26, 2018 when he rear-ended another vehicle at less than 30 mph, a relatively minor accident, but not for Tiago. The Takata single stage driver inflator (SDI) in his airbag exploded, sending a piece of shrapnel into his chest and him to the hospital. Witnesses described Tiago’s wound as looking ‘like a military injury caused by a firearm projectile.’ They weren’t far off.

Tiago is lucky to be alive because Takata’s SDI inflator has a particularly deadly failure mode and the version used by Honda has the highest susceptibility of any to rupture. I’ll first explain the failure mode and it is nasty, having already taken the lives of five Honda City owners in Malaysia and two Ford Ranger owners the U.S. Figure 1 shows a cross section of the inflator.

The Dangers of SDI

When the SDI’s ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant degrades to dangerous levels from exposure to heat and humidity and an accident triggers the device, its internal pressure ramps beyond the structure’s capability. Instantly, the inflator wants to transition from a hockey puck to a baseball, but its thick booster tube, welded to the cap and base resists, developing a tremendous stress. Eventually, the tube gives way and breaks at its exhaust holes and the structure rapidly baseballs, transferring the overwhelming stress to the welds joining the booster tube to the cap and base. When they fail, the two sections of the booster tube, head in opposite directions, one into the steering column and the other, a firearm projectile, into the cabin and straight at the driver. Figure 2 shows the aftermath of an SDI failure while Figure 3 shows the two booster tube pieces from Tiago’s inflator. He seems to have luckily avoided a direct strike from the bullet which would explain why he is still with us today. Scary.

The Honda SDI inflator is more susceptible to rupture than other automaker’s version because of its propellant geometry, a 5/16” diameter X 0.105” thick tablet. Takata struggled with the tablet’s compaction during pressing and when propellant is manufactured below maximum density, it degrades at an accelerated rate. The Honda SDI inflator is extremely dangerous and any vehicle it is installed in should be treated the same as Alphas are in the U.S. and Australia. They should not be driven but rather towed immediately to a dealer for repair.

Honda’s Stunning Admission

Just four days after Auto Esporte identified Tiago Ferreira as Brazil’s first registered victim of a Takata airbag explosion, this susceptibility became a reality when Honda admitted there have actually been 28 inflator ruptures across different models in the country, 11 of them resulting in injuries. This stunning admission, again reported by Auto Esporte, was made even more unbelievable when Brazil’s Minister of Justice, responsible for monitoring recalls in the country, claimed Honda neglected to inform the Department of any of the cases. An investigation has since been opened and Honda has been put on notice.

What makes the admission so stunning is Honda’s recall efforts in the United States have been heralded as a success story, including door to door campaigns and mobile repair units. It’s an incomprehensible about-face that Honda has yet to comment on.

Current State of the Takata Airbag Recall in Brazil

The Auto Esporte article goes on to state that there are 3.4 million cars impacted by the Takata airbag recall in Brazil. Two million of those remain unrepaired, with Honda accounting for more than any other automaker at 870,000. Although it is unknown how many possess SDI inflators, there are certainly enough on Brazil’s roads to mandate an immediate door to door campaign.

Brazil has another reason to take these recalls very seriously: a hot and humid climate. In an exclusive interview with Auto Esporte, the President of Takata Brazil, now Joyson Safety Systems, Airton Evangelist, confirmed the risk in Brazil is as high as other regions where Takata inflators are prone to rupture. “If you do a study, the climate here is very similar to those regions of the United States,” he said.

SDI in Ford and Volkswagen Vehicles

There are Ford Rangers in Brazil with SDI inflators as well. They use a thicker, more easily produced tablet, but Ford has attributed its two U.S. fatalities to poorly manufactured, low density propellant. Certain MY 2006 Ford Rangers are on stop drive in the U.S. for this very reason, and Ford has issued a recall in Brazil for 2005-2012 Rangers for both Takata driver and passenger airbags.

Ford is not the only automaker on the receiving end of SDI inflators manufactured with low density propellant. There is at least one more I am certain of which is covered in our book. Coincidentally, it involved a shipment of SDI inflators to Brazil in 2008 where they were assembled into Volkswagen modules. Takata discovered the problem after the modules were already in vehicles and when Volkswagen Brazil was notified, they decided to do nothing. Quiz Airton Evangelist about it. He should remember, as should Volkswagen, and they should be moving heaven and earth to get them.