The recall notice was reissued on more than 20 Toyota models including the highly popular Vitz hatchback subcompact model that were produced between 2004 and 2008, Toyota said, following an initial recall being announced in May and June based on faulty Takata-made air bag inflators, Xinhua reported.
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New revelations in Takata’s massive airbags problems have brought to light the fact that the Japanese auto supplier did not take account of employees’ concerns about manipulated data provided to Honda Motor about its inflators from as early as 2000. Toyota is re-doing the recall after an inflator ruptured and injured a passenger in a Nissan X-Trail SUV last month in Japan even after an inspection found no air leak.
“There have been instances in the past when Takata provided inflater validation testing reports to automotive customers that contained selective, incomplete or inaccurate data”, a Takata spokesperson admitted. The company said it will report the results to US regulators and “will be in a better position to comment further” at that time.
Toyota itself is recalling about 12 million vehicles worldwide due to Takata air bags and the world’s largest automaker has confirmed that at least five injuries in the U.S. have occurred in Toyota models as a result of the faulty air bags. Following the order, which is set to include a $200m fine for Takata, Ford, Mazda, Honda and Nissan have cancelled orders with the firm. Takata has said it will phase out the use of ammonium nitrate in its inflators. (TKTDF.PK) employees in the USA raised concerns internally about misleading testing reports on air bags that later became prone to explosions, the wall street Journal reported.
The internal documents illuminate in fresh detail lapses at Takata that Honda and regulators have previously referenced. NYT reports that an additional $130 million fine could be levied if Takata does not follow the terms of the consent order, potentially the largest civil punishment in auto industry history.
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Documents from 2005 written by U.S. Takata engineer Bob Schubert laid out what he saw as altered information on different Takata inflators, according to the Journal.
