While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) strives to stop one more Takata-style disaster, the automotive business is operating to stay away from a recall that encompass as well broad a variety, potentially costing billions.

Automakers argue that there is not adequate proof to warrant a recall of as several as 52 million airbag inflators made by ARC Automotive Inc. In letters to the regulator written throughout an open comment period that closed on Monday, they pointed to the massive expense that such a measure would incur, and questioned the regulator’s findings.

General Motors wrote that it disagrees with NHTSA’s initial selection that ARC airbags are defective, reports Bloomberg. It stated the proof “falls far short of the agency’s technical and procedural standards, especially in major defects enforcement cases.” It shares its position with other automakers, like Ford, and the airbags’ manufacturer, ARC.

Read: U.S. Regulators Say 52 Million ARC Airbag Inflators Should Be Recalled

However, NHTSA stated in May that it had identified at least seven instances of ruptured airbags that led to injury, which includes two that led to deaths. These incidents date from 2009 to March 2023. It believes that a fault in the welding performed by ARC may possibly have left debris in the inflators. In an accident, that debris could be shot out into the cabin, becoming shrapnel that could — and it argues has — injured the individuals the airbag was supposed to shield.

If this all reminds you of the Takata recall, you are not alone. Mark Rosekind, who oversaw that investigation, described this dispute as “déjà vu all over again.” In that case, far more than one hundred million inflators had been recalled, forcing Takata into bankruptcy, and becoming the biggest recall in automotive history.

Similarly, if a recall is demanded, it would be really pricey for ARC and for the automakers who utilized its airbags, amongst them: GM, Ford, Stellantis, Tesla, VW, Hyundai, BMW, Kia, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Toyota.

In its letter, GM estimated that a recall of ARC merchandise could have an effect on 15 % of the 300 million registered autos on America’s roads. Experts estimate that it could expense the business as significantly as $ten billion in all. It has currently led to a voluntary recall of 1 million inflators in GM autos.

With the comment period for this situation now total, NHTSA will make a final selection on whether or not or not the components are defective as early as subsequent year. That will be the final step ahead of it either mandates a recall, or drops the investigation.