Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., that the company – which has declared air bags defective in more than 50 million vehicles worldwide – will not create a General Motors-style compensation fund at Blumenthal’s suggestion.
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Tokyo-based Honda said Thursday the latest recall affects 1.63 million vehicles in Japan, but none in North America. But the manufacturing period was extended to 2007 through 2011, from the previous 2004 through 2006.
Honda is recalling almost 10,000 vehicles in New Zealand because of concerns about airbags. The move takes to 24.5 million the total number of vehicles that the country’s number three auto manufacturer has called back after the faulty airbags were linked to eight deaths around the world.
“Takata’s senior management has given the idea of a compensation fund careful consideration, and we will continue to evaluate the possible benefits of such a mechanism in relation to the personal injury lawsuits involving air bag ruptures and the multi-district litigation proceedings now pending in federal court in the Southern District of Florida”, Kennedy said. Takata, automakers and the US government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are trying to pinpoint the cause.
Takata Corp believes that prolonged exposure to airborne moisture and high temperatures can make he ammonium nitrate explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister. The company has plans to increase that to 1 million inflators monthly by September.
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The staggering numbers mean it will take several years for Takata and other air bag makers to produce enough inflators to finish the recalls, leaving potentially unsafe Takata inflators on the road.
