In the U.S., FCA is the latest automaker to recall vehicles due to defective Takata airbag inflators and has recently announced that it will call back 4.3 million vehicles to replace their front passenger airbag inflators. Japan’s transport ministry said Friday that automakers will recall approximately seven million more vehicles there, so the global total is now approaching 70 million.
Advertisement
Millions more vehicles containing defective Takata Corp. airbags are being recalled, including 400,000 Chrysler vehicles in Canada alone, as the fallout from the largest recall in history continues to spread.
Most were built between the 2005 and 2011 model years.
Mazda Canada said it will recall 7,283 vehicles, while Nissan Canada said about 3,000 vehicles are affected.
The airbag recall was caused by a chemical malfunction in the airbag inflators.
The largest automotive recall in the United States has just gotten bigger, with eight vehicle manufacturers tacking yet another 12 million cars onto the recall list.
US investment fund Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) has proposed taking about a 60 percent stake in Takata Corp, Japan’s Nikkei reported on Thursday, possibly offering a lifeline to the embattled Japanese air bag maker. Honda expects the recalls to start in late summer for automobiles and in late fall for the motorcycles.
Selecting a financial sponsor would likely require discussion with Takata’s automaker clients and stakeholders.
Takata is reportedly in talks with potential buyers as the company attempts to deal with the financial fallout from ever-growing recalls.
Fiat Chrysler said Friday it is also recalling 933,000 vehicles sold outside the United States for Takata inflators. It told the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the second phase of the Takata expansion would include 660,000 U.S. vehicles. Takata is a major supplier of auto safety equipment including air bag, seat belts and child restraint systems – with 46 plants in 17 countries. The recalls have been ordered because regulators feel the inflators are too risky to wait until that is pinpointed.
Advertisement
Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) is recalling about 38,000 2006-2007 Lancer vehicles and Ferrari NV (RACE.MI) is calling back 2,800 US sportscars. Takata has to prove to the government that those are safe by the end of 2019, or they will be recalled. It also faces numerous USA lawsuits, including a suit filed earlier this month by the state of Hawaii.
