By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A government plan to recall and replace millions of potentially deadly Takata Corp (T:7312) air bag inflators could compel other manufacturers to supply automakers with the safety devices, the top U.S auto safety regulator said on Thursday.
Mark Rosekind, who heads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told reporters that his agency will unveil the plan at an October 22 public meeting and predicted the proceedings will increase the focus on providing American car owners with safe replacement parts.
The meeting is part of an enhanced enforcement posture under Rosekind, who took control of NHTSA less than a year ago after critics including members of Congress blamed the agency for failing to take action against a series of deadly defects including faulty General Motors Co (N:GM) ignition switches.
Rosekind told reporters that NHTSA would use the forum to "basically tell everybody how this is going to move forward." The agency, which announced the October meeting on Wednesday, has conducted a lengthy series of meetings with the companies involved, including Takata and the 11 automakers it supplies.
"We need to make sure the priorities are clear, make sure the supplies are going to be available, make sure the quality assurance is taken care of. The remedy has to work," Rosekind said.
Asked if NHTSA is planning to order other air bag inflator manufacturers to increase production to ensure replacement supplies, Rosekind said: "We're in the process of figuring that out. If we need to, absolutely."
Takata air bag inflators have been linked to eight deaths and more than 100 injuries. The devices can explode with too much force, spraying metal shrapnel into vehicle passenger compartments. About 19 million Takata inflators remain installed in U.S. vehicles.
No cause has been determined. But experts believe ammonium nitrate, the propellant used by Takata, may become unstable over time when exposed to humidity. Takata is the only air bag manufacturer that uses ammonium nitrate, a practice that has raised questions in Congress about the safety of replacement products being used in the recall.
Takata has said it would rapidly cut its use of the volatile chemical. Meanwhile, at least one manufacturer - Fiat Chrysler (NYSE:FCAU) Automobiles NV (MI:FCHA) (N:FCAU) - has decided to replace driver-side air bags in vehicles affected by the Takata recall with products from another supplier, TRW Automotive.