At least 20 million vehicles made by General Motors (GM) have potentially dangerous airbag parts that the government says should be recalled before more people are injured or killed.
The number of GM vehicles affected, which has not been publicly disclosed, makes the Detroit-based automaker one of the biggest victims of a recall demanded by U.S. auto safety regulators of 52 million airbag inflators designed by Tennessee-based auto supplier ARC Automotive, according to the sources.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasn't released the total number of vehicles involved in the recall or the specific models affected. Depending on how regulators handle it, the number of GM cars and trucks using these inflators could be even higher.
NHTSA will hold a public meeting on Thursday to discuss its determination that the airbag parts are defective and should be recalled. In April, the regulator sent a letter to ARC asking it to recall the inflators, which are essentially miniature explosive devices that are used to rapidly inflate air bag buffers in the event of a crash.
Such a massive recall would be one of the largest in U.S. history.
The ARC rejected the regulator's request, prompting NHTSA to take the unusual step of scheduling a hearing. A lawyer for ARC said the company would make a brief statement at the meeting.
In addition to GM, 11 other automakers have ARC airbag inflators in NHTSA's scope of action, They include Ford Motor Co. (F), Volkswagen AG (VLKAY), Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and Hyundai Motor Co.