US allows GM to delay recall to prove safety of air bags

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. auto safety regulators are allowing General Motors to delay a large recall of potentially defective air bags, giving the company time to prove that the devices are safe and to possibly avoid a huge financial hit.

The unusual move by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration buys time for GM to do long-term tests of Takata air bag inflators in older trucks and SUVs including its top-selling vehicle, the Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

The recall covers the Silverado, GMC Sierra pickup and many popular full-size SUVs from the 2007 to 2011 model years.

The testing could help GM fend off several recalls totaling 6.8 million trucks and SUVS with the same inflators that ultimately could cost the company $870 million, according to a GM filing with securities regulators.

The delay also pushes the decision into the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has stated that he wants to get rid of unnecessary government regulation.

In its petition seeking the delay, GM said that 52,000 air bags in its trucks SUVs have inflated in crashes, and none has ruptured.

Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies Inc., a Massachusetts firm that does testing for plaintiffs' lawyers and other clients, said the timing of NHTSA's decision shows it was a "backroom deal" that left the public in the dark.