Barry mayenov
1990 this is a digital version of an article from The Times Print Archive, before it starts online in 1996.
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The first major airline
Bag recalls are in progress: Ford Motor said yesterday it expects to replace potentially defective air
The filling machine is about 3,000 nights-
The model, as announced last week, is not just 133.
Ford spokesman Jim Trainor said the company
The situation was evaluated after looking at the data provided by TRW Inc.
The company that produces inflators in Cleveland.
\"Their records can\'t show exactly which modules are good and which ones are bad,\" Mr. Trainor said.
He said Ford was forced to recall 55,000 1990 and 1991 vehicles because it did not know which cars were equipped with suspicious inflators.
TRW said that the threaded joint on the parts of the inflator was damaged during production, so that the inflator could be separated in the accident, spewing hot air into the car and causing the airbag to fail.
With Ford, GM has built 39 cars, up to 36 ac song legends and 1 Mazda RX-
7 convertible cars were affected.
The companies are making voluntary recalls, and the number of cars involved may increase.
Ahead of this latest development, Ford officials apparently tried to delay the first public announcement of the airline
Defective bag inflator.
It was in October.
26 company officials met with Jerry Ralph Curry, director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Mr.
Curry said this week that he told Ford officials that he wanted to announce the issue on the same day, but they had another idea.
\"They want us to wait until November. 5,\" said Mr.
Curry declined the offer.
\"Waiting is unreasonable.
Mr. advertising.
Mr. Trainor, a Ford spokesman, has no objection.
Curry\'s account
But Ford\'s goal, he says, is not to cover up the danger, but to fight for time to organize a complex recall.
\"We just said, \'Give us another week, because it will be smoother. \'\"Trainor said.
These events provide some behind-the-scenes glimpsesthe-
Maneuvers around major security recalls.
Ford knows the air though.
The bag issue seems to have been discovered for a few weeks --
Attracted by the speed of government propaganda.
TRW officials are still scrambling to find out how many cars are affected.
The recall is air-
The use of bags has risen sharply.
According to estimation about 480,000 1989 a car with air bag about 3.
According to Va Arlington of a industry groups highway security Insurance Association of data 3 million 1990 a car can driving. Three-
Part system air-
The bag system consists of three main components: electronic sensor, inflator and inflatable bag. When an head-
When a collision occurs, the sensor is directed to the inflator, the doughnut-
Forming devices containing sodium nitrate and other chemicals under pressure.
Sodium nitrate is ignited and burned violently, producing nitrogen, filling the bag in less than 1-
Two seconds.
At TRW, people have been confused about how many cars might be affected.
Although the company initially identified 188 suspicious inflators, it told the State Administration of road traffic safety on October.
It expects the final number to be \"about twice that number \".
When asked about Monday\'s estimate, Claude janino, a spokesman for the company, said the final figure could be between \"five and 6,000\" and later that day, TRW said it was impossible to provide an estimate.
Mr. assistant.
Gianino said he was traveling yesterday, but Donna Reynolds, a TRW spokesman, said the latest estimate was that 3,300 units were suspected.
The problem with the TRW inflator first appeared in a prototype car crash test at Ford in April, and a bag failed.
The spokesman said.
Ford called TRW and both companies assigned investigators to find out what was going on.
On July, TRW reported the Ford incident to other clients and security agencies.
The agency\'s acting deputy director of law enforcement, Michael Brownlee, said the car
Once the parts supplier has notified multiple customer safety hazards, they must notify the agency-related defect.
Researchers at TRW and Ford could not start over
Manufacturing faults, but they suspect that if the units are assembled too tightly, the threaded joints on some parts may be damaged, SirGianino said.
The TRW engineer looked at the production record and the record showed the torque reading, a measure of tension under which the inflator unit was assembled. On Oct.
12, the company tested 12 inflators assembled in higher positionsthan-
Average torque reading, three of which failed
Determine that the threaded joint is the problem, says Gianino.
The company decided that all units assembled at similar torque levels could also fail. By Oct.
On the 19 th, TRW provided Ford with a list showing the serial number of 133 suspicious inflators.
The list also went to G. M.
Song, Mazda.
The three companies can match these numbers to specific vehicles, thus greatly limiting the number of owners they have to notify.
But Ford did not record the air.
Bag serial number when installing the equipment, SirTrainor said.
As a result, the company is recalling all 55,000 vehicles with TRW inflators installed from August 1989 to April 1990. On Oct.
On the 22nd, TRW sent a report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration saying that the inflatable mechanism became a safety hazard.
The agency acted quickly and announced the news at 8: 00 in the evening. M. on Oct.
Yesterday a week ago
\"Our choice is to announce the recall later on Friday or wait until Monday,\" he said . \"
Curry, manager of the agency
\"I decided not to wait.
The media didn\'t like us announcing things later on Friday, but it would be unreasonable if someone got hurt on the weekend and we were sitting on it all the time.
The decision also prompted action by the affected car companies.
For example, on the same Friday, G. M.
Start calling the owner of the airbag with potential defects.
When other producers notify the owner by phone, Ford is sending a letter expected to be sent on MondayTrainor said.
Among other things, Ford must first provide the dealer with instructions on replacing the parts and how to identify the problem inflator and replace them.
\"It will take a long time to put this process into practice,\" he said . \".
Restricted driving, the owner is told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to inform the owner of the vehicle affected by air
Bag inflators are recalled to limit their use until they are checked.
\"If someone has a broken arm, I will drive to the hospital,\" said Jerry Ralph Curry, administrator of the security bureau. \"But if this use is unnecessary, just park the car in place.
\"These cars must be returned to the dealer for inspection and may also need to be repaired: Ford Motor.
There are about 55,000 1990 Taurus, Tempo, Crown Victoria, Sable, topashi, Grand Marquis and Continental models, as well as about 1991 Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis.
A Ford spokesman said about 3,000 inflators would be replaced, but all cars would have to be inspected.
Letters to the owner will be sent by Monday and Ford will provide replacement cars if needed. Information: (800)392-3673. GENERAL MOTORS. Thirty-
Nine 1990 Buick Reattas and Riveras, Oz mobier, Cadillac DeVilles, Eldorados and Sevilles.
All owners were notified. M. spokesman said. ACURA.
A spokesman said as many as 36 owners of the 1990 Acura Legend were contacted by phone and email. Information: (800)382-2238. MAZDA. One 1990 RX-
The company said it was affected.
A version of this article appears on page 1001050 of the national edition of November 3, 1990, with the title: the first major air
Expanded recall.