Federal safety regulators announced Wednesday the more than doubling a recall of Takata Corp. airbag inflators already subject to the largest automotive safety recall in U.S. history.
DETROIT, MI - Federal safety regulators announced Wednesday the more than doubling a recall of Takata Corp. airbag inflators already subject to the largest automotive safety recall in U.S. history.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it will recall another 35-40 million inflators between May 2016 and December 2019.
Defective airbags supplied by Takata have in some cases exploded and sent metal shrapnel flying through vehicles.
The potentially faulty part has been linked to at least 11 deaths, including 10 in the U.S., and more than 100 injuries.
"Today's action is a significant step in the U.S. Department of Transportation's aggressive oversight of Takata on behalf of drivers and passengers across America," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a release. "The acceleration of this recall is based on scientific evidence and will protect all Americans from air bag inflators that may become unsafe."
Before Wednesday's announcement, the Takata airbag recall covered about 29 million airbags in 24 million vehicles in the U.S. It spans 14 automakers and 22 brands.
The chemical propellant that ignites the air bag inflators - ammonium nitrate - can be damaged by moisture over time in humid environments. Once damaged, the propellant becomes explosive.
The Takata airbags affected by the expanded recall lack a chemical drying agent, also known as a desiccant.
NHTSA said it will conduct the five-phase recall based on prioritization of risk, which will be determined by the age of the inflators and the vehicles' exposure to high humidity and changing high temperatures.
Calling it the largest and most complex safety recall in American history, NHTSA said it plans to have a 100 percent completion rate.
"The science clearly shows that these inflators become unsafe over time, faster when exposed to humidity and variations of temperature," NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said. "This recall schedule ensures the inflators will be recalled and replaced before they become dangerous, giving vehicle owners sufficient time to have them replaced before they pose a danger to vehicle occupants."
Last November, the U.S. DOT settled a criminal probe of the Japanese automotive supplier with a $70 million fine. In addition to the DOT fine, Takata faces another $130 million in fines if it violates a settlement with the NHTSA.
Takata is also prohibited from making airbag inflators affected by the recall until it can prove they are safe.
If you suspect your vehicle is included the recall, you can plug your vehicle identification number into NHTSA's VIN lookup at vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/. For complete consumer information from NHTSA, you can visit http://www.safercar.gov/rs/takata.
"The scope of the Takata airbag recall is nothing short of mind-boggling," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "That up to 40 million more vehicles could be traveling on roads and highways carrying potentially lethal airbag inflators is difficult to comprehend. The most frightening aspect of this is that many car owners will not get the message, and thus their vehicles will remain unfixed with possibly fatal results."
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.