On Saturday, March 17, 2018, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that they would be investigating why some airbags failed to deploy in Hyundai and Kia vehicles after a crash resulted in four people killed and another six injured. The administration will be investigating problems that affect an estimated 425,000 cars made by the Korean automakers.

The real concern, however, is whether the same problem could occur in vehicles made by other companies. It was discovered that the airbag failure was due to electrical circuit shorts in airbag control computers made by parts supplier ZF-TRW. Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor said that the company is aware of the reports of two deaths in its vehicles, which he said occurred in head-on collisions at dangerously high speeds. He announced that the company is also working with NHTSA to investigate the case further, and there have been no issues with any vehicle except the 2011 Sonata. It appears that the South Korean automakers have adopted a proactive attitude towards the situation to prevent any further accidents.

Image Source: WITN