The auto giant also said that it had issued a recall notice for the Honda City vehicles in 2014 and 2015 requiring the driver’s front airbag inflators to be replaced.
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US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) officials have asked Takata to expand the recall based on the government’s determination of the root cause.
The massive recalls have raised questions on the ability of the industry to produce and distribute replacement parts. Rosekind asked for the cooperation of manufacturers, suppliers and vehicle owners.
“The science now clearly shows these inflators can become unsafe over time”, he said, referring to evidence that chemicals in the devices can degrade, especially when exposed to heat and humidity. Another three manufacturers – Jaguar-Land Rover, Fisker and Tesla – will be involved in the new batch of recalls. Two more fatalities in Malaysia were confirmed Wednesday.
The airbags have so far been tied to at least 10 USA deaths and more than 100 injuries.
Drivers of affected cars will receive notices when their cars are scheduled for repairs.
Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create an explosion that inflates air bags in a crash. Inflators inside the air bags can explode with too much force and spew shrapnel into the vehicle. But it does not cover side air bags without the drying agent, nor does it cover another 32 million air bags that have the desiccant.
NHTSA said the expanded recall announced this week will add 35-40 million defective inflators to the almost 29 million already recalled.
Takata said it wasn’t aware of any ruptures involving the newly recalled population of air bags. The phases are based on the age of the vehicles and exposure to high humidity and high temperatures. But more than likely, it will match the number of inflators supplied by Takata, with some vehicles requiring replacements for their driver-side and passenger-side air bags.
Honda and Mazda were among the first automakers to respond to the latest recall announcement.
Two U.S. senators said even the expanded recall may not be enough. But since then, the agency has received the reports pinpointing the cause, enabling it to identify vehicles at risk, the agency said.
“There could be further expansion”, Rosekind said. Most other airbag makers use guanidine nitrate, which is less volatile. “I just can’t see how Takata can survive this disaster”.
Potential rescuers include Japanese automakers, which have become increasingly dependent on Takata’s air bags, seat belts and other parts over the years.
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The already massive Takata airbag recall is more than doubling in size.
