Potential pre-mature pressure relief device on fuel cell vehicles

A manufacturer of fuel cells and hydrogen vehicles issued a recall for 35 of its vehicles, due to a manufacturing defect in the Thermal Pressure Relief Device (TRPD). The defect may cause the glass bulb within the TRPD to fracture prematurely, causing hydrogen release from the onboard storage system.

The manufacturer advised that the vehicles can still be operated, but they should not be parked in enclosed spaces like garages, until the TRPD is replaced.

The manufacturer was planning to replace the faulty devices at authorised dealerships as soon as the necessary parts were available.

This recall is part of a larger global action including 1,545 vehicles in the United States and additional numbers in South Korea.

The operations consisted predominantly in manual actions and obsolete equipment. This, in combination with highly reactive substances, regularly caused runaway reactions. On top of that, in the period of the incident, there was a pressure to work out a backlog of materials. This made opting for the quicker but also more hazardous direct treatment of the residues by hydrolysis. Despite the absence of negative records on personnel health, the inspection found considerable shortcoming in safety management.

The manufacturer advised that the vehicles can still be operated, but they should not be parked in enclosed spaces like garages, until the TRPD is replaced.
The manufacturer was planning to replace the faulty devices at authorised dealerships as soon as the necessary parts were available.
This recall was part of a larger global action including 1,545 vehicles in the United States and additional numbers in South Korea.