Volkswagen has been one of the few global automakers unaffected by rupturing airbags made by Takata that are linked to at least eight deaths and more than 100 injuries.But this week, safety regulators demanded more details from Takata and Volkswagen on the rupture of a Takata airbag in a 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan on June 7.
The airbag's inflater exploded after the sport utility vehicle hit a deer in Missouri, sending metal parts into the car's cabin, said Mark Gillies, a spokesman for the German automaker. The driver, whom Mr. Gillies declined to identify, sustained minor injuries and did not seek medical attention or file a police report, he said.
The incident came to light after the driver reported the rupture to Volkswagen. The automaker alerted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on July 15, more than a month after the malfunction.
Mr. Gillies said that it was ''too early to say'' whether the rupture was linked to a spate of airbag breakdowns that has prompted the recall of 34 million airbag inflaters used by 11 global automakers just in the United States.
Volkswagen was not aware of any previous ruptures involving any of its airbags, and was working with safety regulators ''to investigate and understand the situation,'' he said. He declined to say how many Volkswagen cars carried Takata-made airbags. In its latest annual report, Takata lists Volkswagen as one of its top five customers by sales volume.
Takata has said that it suspects the earlier ruptures, which have occurred in older cars, were caused by propellant in the airbags' inflaters that can break down when exposed to heat and moisture over a long period of time. That exposure can make the propellant combust violently when the airbag is activated.
A spokesman for Takata, Jared Levy, said the parts maker believed the case was unrelated.
''While we are still investigating the cause of this malfunction, we believe it is unrelated to the previous recalls, which the extensive data suggests were a result of aging and long-term exposure to heat and high humidity,'' Mr. Levy said in an emailed statement. ''We are cooperating closely with N.H.T.S.A. and the vehicle manufacturer.''
In its special order, N.H.T.S.A. demands that Takata and Volkswagen disclose more information on the June 7 rupture, as well as any known issues with the inflater involved, including any other known ruptures either on the road or in testing labs.
The agency's special order to Takata also requires the company to disclose any other safety issues that it is investigating, or plans to investigate, involving its inflaters. Both Takata and Volkswagen are required to submit answers by Monday, and follow up with supplemental information as needed by the agency.
The Takata airbag recalls so far affect vehicles from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Mazda and Daimler Trucks.