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      02-12-2016, 02:59 PM   #59
Rennsport3.2
Judge Hank "The Hangman" BMW
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Takata has been making airbags since the late 1980s. My understanding of the issue is that it stems for the propellant itself. Until the late 1990s, Takata used sodium azide, which was very stable but potentially toxic. When I worked as an insurance adjuster, a lot of my clients would have a "sunburn" from airbag deployments in older cars on their face and forearms. It was actually a mild chemical burn that would go away in a few days. In the late 1990s, Takata switched to ammonium nitrate, which I understand to be less toxic (but still toxic - you definitely don't want to replace your Tabasco with this stuff), and cheaper to produce - bonus! It was, however, less stable if mishandled or stored incorrectly. One or more of Takata's production facilities effectively ignored quality control and safety regulations, resulting in inflator units that were quite literally ticking time bombs, prone to producing explosive shrapnel in the event of an accident. Before the recall, Takata produced about 1/5 of all airbags in the world, so this is shaping up to be the largest automotive recall in history.

Last edited by Rennsport3.2; 02-12-2016 at 03:00 PM.. Reason: Grammatical error
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