Takata truck blast revives concerns over airbag propellant

Washington

CRITICS of the embattled airbag manufacturer Takata Corp said that last week's deadly explosion of a truck carrying parts to its Mexican factory underscores questions about the safety of the chemical compound at the centre of the largest vehicle recall in US history.

Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) should look into the Aug 22 explosion, which killed one and injured four others on US Highway 277 between Del Rio, Texas, and Eagle Pass, Texas.

The truck was carrying 14,000 cylinders of ammonium nitrate, the propellant linked to deadly airbag failures.

The incident raises questions about the inherent inst…