30 Million Additional Vehicles With Takata Airbags Now Under Probe
Sick of the Takata saga yet? Every time you think it’s over a shocking new development surfaces.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed on Tuesday that it has opened an investigation into 30 million additional vehicles that could be driving with defective airbag inflators made by the now-bankrupt Japanese supplier.
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Remember, the original Takata inflators used ammonium nitrate which became unstable over time. As a result, they could explode and spray occupants with metallic debris. Humid weather conditions made the situation worse.
The inflators in the new investigation contain a desiccant that helps keep moisture from causing the chemical reaction at the source of the explosions. The previous ones did not.
To this day at least 28 people have died worldwide and over 400 more have suffered injuries. In what is the largest safety recall in automotive history, more than 100 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled globally.
The NHTSA said the additional 30 million vehicles—comprising 1,384 different models—were manufactured from 2001-2019 by two dozen automakers including Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Tesla, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Jaguar and Land Rover.
“While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled inflators,” the NHTSA said, adding that “the driving public does not need to take any action" for the time being.
Automakers will work with the U.S. agency in its investigation to determine if a new recall is in order. Should that be the case, Canada likely won’t be spared.