The Japanese supplier has declined to detail exactly what changes were made to the chemicals, or for what purpose, however the controversial compound ammonium nitrate is still listed among the necessary ingredients.
Despite apparent evidence that the previous mixture was prone to degradation due to moisture exposure, both during the manufacturing process and after installation in vehicles, the company argues that the chemicals are perfectly safe.
“There is no admission of a defect with the original version,” an unnamed spokesperson told Reuters. “There has not been any finding that ammonium nitrate or the earlier composition was somehow flawed. We changed the composition in an effort to improve quality.”
Ammonium nitrate, commonly used for fertilizer and industrial explosives, is not believed to be widely used as an airbag propellant by other airbag suppliers. The latest report suggests several other airbag makers utilize different mixtures, primarily composed of guanidine nitrate, that do not exhibit the same behavior.
Former employees recently accused executives of orchestrating a coverup to hide results of 2004 internal tests, which allegedly confirmed the inflator problems, rather than reporting the findings to the federal government or automakers. The company’s leadership is now under fire for failing to publicly address the issue and quickly build replacement parts for the millions of recalled vehicles.
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