Sept. 11, 2019—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating at least 15 crashes where drivers reported air bags failed to deploy, per a report from ABC 15.
The air bag issue stems from the air bag control unit. "The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) senses a vehicle crash to determine whether air bag deployment is required," according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In July, NHTSA reached out to seven major automakers: Kia, Honda, Acura, Toyota, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, and Chrysler/Fiat asking for more information on cars they've sold, or complaints they've received for vehicles equipped with an air bag control unit manufactured by ZF-TRW.
Jonathan Michaels, a California-based attorney, filed a class-action lawsuit against all seven automakers in July, claiming the companies have "concealed a deadly air bag defect in 12.3 million U.S. cars.