Meanwhile, U.S. regulators identified the latest round of vehicles – covering eight automakers and more than 12 million vehicles – included in the previously announced recall that is now the largest in American history.
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With recall expanded in the US, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has required automakers to recall vehicles equipped with airbags with the same problems also in Japan.
The National Highway Traffic Administration initially recalled about 28 million vehicles with Takata air bags that could explode and shower passengers with shrapnel.
The newest recall, according to Takata and the automakers, does not have any reports of ruptures in the vehicles involved.
The two automakers said they include some discontinued Saab and Pontiac vehicles assembled for General Motors Co (GM.N). It will take several years for some owners to get replacements for the defective inflators.
Fiat Chrysler said it’s not aware of any crashes or injuries involving its vehicles that are part of the recall. Police said that the teenager would have survived if it weren’t for the defective inflators. 383,101 units and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Only 8.5 million airbags have been replaced so far, less than a half of the total.
In November, Takata agreed to pay a $70 million fine for safety violations and NHTSA named a former federal prosecutor as an independent monitor to oversee the massive recalls.
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No new driver front airbag inflators in Honda or Acura automobiles will be subject to recall as a result of this action, as all potentially affected driver inflators are already subject to prior recalls. The ministry has not disclosed the exact number of vehicle manufacturers that will be impacted by this latest recall.
