Volvo Recalls 460K Cars Worldwide Over Faulty Airbags

(RTTNews) - Swedish car manufacturer Volvo (VOLVY.PK) said on Tuesday that it is recalling over 460,000 cars across the world due to a risk involving a component in its air bags, which could rupture into metal fragments. The company added that this complaint has led to the death of at least one person.

In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S, dated Monday, Volvo said that it is recalling around 260,000 cars in the U.S.

The company said in the letter, "The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death."

Volvo is recalling two car models, namely, the S80 car produced between 2001 and 2006 and the S60 vehicles produced between 2001 and 2009. Dealers will install a new air bag in the impacted cars for free, the company added.

Additionally, in a safety recall report submitted to the National Highway Authority, Volvo said that it has knowledge of at least one person dying due to an accident related to the air bag.

Many cars on the road have the deadly airbag components and hence efforts are ongoing to get them off the road and save precious lives.