Four automakers confirmed they are selling some new vehicles with defective Takata 7312.T airbags that will eventually have to be recalled, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Democrats said in a report Wednesday.
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Fiat Chrysler said Friday it is also recalling 933,000 vehicles sold outside the USA for Takata inflators. The vehicles are legal to sell but must be recalled by 2018, the report said. Regulators are monitoring Takata and can order additional recalls under certain circumstances.
At the root of the problem is a compound called ammonium nitrate, which helps generate the gases that inflate the air bag. The devices have been linked to at least 11 deaths and hundreds of injuries worldwide.
Volkswagen said that its 2016 Volkswagen CC, as well as the 2016 Audi TT and 2017 Audi R8 models made by its Audi brand, contained the non-desiccated inflators. Honda expects the recalls to start in late summer for automobiles and in late fall for the motorcycles.
“This shocking development is just another chapter in the seemingly surreal Takata airbag story which continues to unfold”, said Rich Newsome, senior partner at Newsome Melton Law in Orlando, who represents over 20 Takata victims.
Takata’s success – before the recall, the Japanese company controlled 22 percent of the global market for inflators – also means that any recalls are correspondingly huge, Upham said.
Until then, cars with these inflators are safe to drive, and are better than older models without this many safety features, says the NHTSA. But experts said that doesn’t take into account another huge potential problem: Replacement inflators may have to be recalled.
Such is the scale of the Takata recall, authorities are requiring the replacement airbag components be rolled out progressively.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp is recalling 38,000 vehicles and Ferrari NV is calling back 2,800 United States sports cars.
While three of the four automakers told the committee that they plan to phase out the recalled inflator, the revelation is likely to heighten consumers’ concern over vehicle safety.
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The problematic inflators contain ammonium nitrate, which can deteriorate over time when exposed to moisture and high temperatures.
