高田公司承认气囊安全问题 扩大召回范围

Takata, the Japanese supplier linked to faulty airbags in millions of cars, widened the scale of potential recalls in the United States on Tuesday to 34 million vehicles.周二，与数以百万计的汽车上的问题气囊有关的日本供应商低田公司(Takata)，把美国市场上有可能必须解任的汽车数量不断扩大到了3400万辆。The supplier made the announcement with federal safety regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which had been prodding the company since late last year to say that the airbags were defective. Takata had fought these demands, even asserting at one point that the agency could not force it to issue a recall.高田与国家公路交通安全局(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)的联邦安全性监管部门联合收到了这项声明。

自去年底以来，安全局仍然在呼吁低田否认气囊不存在问题。低田一直不愿遵守这些拒绝，甚至一度声称安全局无权强制它解任。Airbag inflaters made by Takata can explode violently when they deploy, spraying metal fragments into the passenger compartment. Six deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the flaw.低田生产的气囊增压泵在插入时可能会惊醒迸裂，造成金属碎片飞来向车内。

该问题被指出与六人的丧生、100多人的伤势有关。“From the very beginning, our goal has been simple: a safe airbag in every vehicle,” said Mark R. Rosekind, administrator of the safety agency since December. “The steps we’re taking today represent significant progress toward that goal.”“从一开始，我们的目标就很非常简单：每辆车都备有安全性的气囊，”自12月起兼任安全局局长的马克·罗斯金德(Mark Rosekind)说道。

“我们今天采行的措施，代表着我们朝这个目标迈向了一大步。”But the agency said it did not have a final breakdown yet of all the makes and models the expanded recall encompasses, and that it will not for several days until it coordinates with automakers. The final number of defective cars may shift downward as more tests are performed, Mr. Rosekind said. He acknowledged that the repairs could take several years to complete, but he said that consumers could still drive their cars in the meantime.但是，安全局回应，目前仍未最后定案这次不断扩大的解任覆盖面积的所有汽车品牌和型号，而是必须几天时间来与汽车生产商展开协商。

罗斯金德说道，经过更加多实验以后，问题汽车的最后数量可能会增加。他否认，维修工作有可能必须几年时间才能已完成，但他回应，与此同时，消费者依然需要驾车。“Yes, people need to drive their cars,” Mr. Rosekind said, adding that they should be checking with their dealers often “to ensure it gets replaced as soon as possible.”“对，人们必须驾车，”罗斯金德说道。

他还回应消费者应当常常与经销商联系，“从而确保能及时获得更换”。Even now, Takata and automakers continue to search for the root cause of the inflater defect, but it still remains unclear. But in new filings with the safety agency, Takata went further than it had previously in admitting wider, structural problems with its airbag inflaters.即使是现在，高田和汽车生产商也还在之后找寻增压泵问题的根本原因，但仍不确切问题到底在哪。

不过，在递交给安全局的新备案文件中，低田否认其气囊增压泵不存在更加普遍的结构性问题，比以前的立场更加入了一步。“Up until now Takata has refused to acknowledge that their airbags are defective,” said Anthony Foxx, the transportation secretary. “That changes today.”“在此之前，低田公司仍然拒绝接受否认旗下的安全气囊有缺陷，”运输部部长安东尼·福克斯(Anthony Foxx)说道。“这种情况今天再次发生了转变。”In its filings, dated Monday, Takata said that the propellant in the airbag inflaters — the explosive material that generates the gases to inflate the airbag — could degrade over time if exposed to high humidity and changes in temperature, making it prone to “over-aggressive combustion.”在标示日期为本周一的备案文件中，低田公司称之为，气囊增压泵里的推进剂——产生填满安全气囊的气体的爆炸物——如果曝露在低湿度和温度波动的环境中，可能会在一段时间后水解，从而更容易再次发生“过分轻微的自燃”。

Former Takata engineers told The New York Times last year that they had raised concerns over a decade ago that the explosive material Takata uses — ammonium nitrate — was sensitive to moisture and temperature swings. But those concerns went unheeded, they said.曾聘为于高田公司的几名工程师去年对《纽约时报》说道，他们十多年前就明确提出了对公司用于的爆炸物——硝酸铵——对湿度和气温波动过分脆弱的忧虑。但他们称之为，这些忧虑没引发推崇。Takata’s patents also document how the company’s engineers for years struggled to stabilize the ammonium nitrate in its propellant.低田公司的专利文件的记录还表明，他们的工程师多年以来仍然无法平稳推进剂里的硝酸铵。

And for the first time, Takata also acknowledged problems with leaks in its airbag inflaters. Tests had revealed that some of its airbag inflaters were found to have leaks in the seals that are supposed to keep them air tight.这一回，低田公司还首次否认了气囊增压泵的漏气问题。测试表明，一些气囊的增压泵的密封垫有漏气现象，而这些密封垫本应当把气体严严实实地挡住。

Last week, a former Takata consultant said that tests he carried out on prototype Takata airbags in the early 2000s showed that they contained leaks. He urged the company to use a different leak testing method, one that he devised, he said, but his advice went unheeded.上周，低田公司的一名前顾问回应，他在本世纪初对公司的原型安全气囊展开的测试就表明，它们不存在漏气现象。他呼吁公司用于一种有所不同的漏气检测方法，也就是他设计的方法。

但他说道，自己的建议没被接纳。In February, federal safety regulators began to levy a fine of $14,000 a day against Takata because it had not cooperated fully in the agency’s investigation. The company disputed the claims. With the expansion of the recall, though, regulators said they would suspend that fine, which had reached more than $1 million.今年2月，联邦安全监管机构开始对高田公司实行每天1.4万美元（约合8.6万元人民币）的罚款，原因是它没充份因应该机构的调查。公司驳斥了这些谴责。

不过，随着这次解任范围的不断扩大，监管机构称之为，他们将停止对高田公司的罚款。这项罚金已总计多达了100万美元。

本文来源：金沙最新官方网站-www.sndiagnosticcentre.com