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What happens when the defective Takata airbags explode?

- Certain types of airbags made by Takata Corporation use a chemical called phase-stabilised ammonium nitrate (PSAN) as a propellant

- An Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) investigation concluded that Takata PSAN airbags without a desiccant (or drying agent) or with a calcium sulphate desiccant have a design defect

- Due to the defect, as the airbag ages and is exposed to high temperatures and humidity, the PSAN propellant is exposed to moisture and degrades

- If this happens, when the airbag is triggered and deploys (in a collision), it may deploy with too much explosive force, rupturing the airbag inflator housing so that sharp metal fragments shoot out and hit vehicle occupants, potentially injuring or killing them

- Globally, ruptures of defective Takata airbags have been associated with at least 23 deaths and 230 injuries. 

- In Australia, one person has been killed and another seriously injured in separate incidents involving defective Takata airbags

- The defect is located in the airbag inflator and so it may not be necessary to replace the entire airbag system to eliminate the safety risk 

Source: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission 

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