WASHINGTON, Reuters U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA officials on Thursday told a public hearing the government should require the recall of 52 million air bag inflators produced by auto suppliers ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive because they may rupture and send metal fragments flying.

The rarely used NHTSA public hearing could prompt one of the largest recalls in U.S. history. Delphi Automotive, part of Autoliv, manufactured approximately 11 million of the inflators through 2004 under a licensing agreement with ARC, which manufactured the remaining 41 million inflators. An ARC executive argued against a recall during the hearing.

NHTSA enforcement official Cem Hatipoglu told the hearing that while the odds for a rupture may not be high, the consequences are severe and potentially deadly. The air bag issue currently is linked to one U.S fatality and seven injuries, the agency said.

The evidence shows without a recall more people will be injured or killed, Hatipoglu said.

The agency first demanded a voluntary recall in May, but ARC rejected it. The NHTSA issued an initial decision in September that the inflators should be recalled, the first formal step before it can force a recall.

The inflators in question been used in vehicles from 2000 through early 2018 produced by 12 automakers, including General Motors, Ford Motor, Stellantis, Tesla, Toyota Motor, Hyundai, Kia, MercedesBenz, BMW and Volkswagen.

A person briefed on the matter…