National Highway Traffic Safety Administration November 16, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On July 10, 2017, Takata Corporation (``Takata'') filed a defect information report (``DIR'') in which it determined that a safety-related defect exists in certain phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (``PSAN'') driver-side airbag inflators that it manufactured with a calcium sulfate desiccant, including inflators that it supplied to Ford Motor Company (``Ford''), Mazda North American Operations (``Mazda''), and Nissan North America Inc. (``Nissan'') for use in certain vehicles. Mazda's vehicles identified by Takata's DIR were designed by Ford and were built on the same platform and using the same airbag inflators as the affected Ford vehicles. Mazda has petitioned the Agencyin part through a purported joint petition with Ford (see DOCKET NO. NHTSA-2017-0093)for a decision that because analysis of inflators installed in certain Ford vehicles does not demonstrate propellant-tablet density degradation or increased inflation pressure, and because there are design differences between the inflators installed in Ford and Mazda vehicles and an inflator variant installed in Nissan vehicles, the equipment defect determined to exist by Takata is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety in the Mazda vehicles affected by Takata's DIR. Mazda requests relief from its notification and remedy obligations under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and its applicable regulations, and further requests that the Agency defer a decision on the petition until March 31, 2018 to allow Ford to complete certain analysis and testing.