WASHINGTON: US auto safety regulators have ordered Japanese manufacturer Takata to recall between 35 and 40 million more air bags installed in US cars, in a push for the replacement of dangerously explosive inflators.
The decision came after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that the inflators are prone to ruptures that have been tied to 11 deaths worldwide, and adds to nearly 29 million Takata air bags already recalled.
The announcement represented an acceleration of planned recalls over the next three years as evidence of the reason behind the exploding inflators became more clear.
Investigators have tied accidents in which air bag inflators ruptured, sending shrapnel into car drivers and passengers, to the deterioration of the inflators’ ammonium nitrate propellant under high humidity and fluctuating heat conditions.
More than 100 incidents and 10 deaths have been tied to the issue in the United States.
The latest was a 17 year old Texas teenager who died from injuries sustained on March 31, after her 2002 Honda Civic collided with another car, activating a defective Takata air bag.
“The science clearly shows that these inflators become unsafe over time, faster when exposed to humidity and variations of temperature,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.
Rosekind pointed out that the previous recalls had already covered those inflator models specifically responsible for the known incidents.
The new recall, which will involve tens of millions of cars of a broad range of makes and models, covers additional Takata inflator types that do not include a desiccant that absorbs moisture.
It will be phased in over the next three years, with the priority on those with the highest risk, based on the age of the inflators and their exposure to high temperatures and humidity.
NHTSA testing found that the service life expectancies of Takata inflators could vary from six years to 25 years, depending on the heat and humidity conditions.
The first air bags covered in the new recall will be those in hot and humid climates which would have shorter lifespans — generally the southern part of the US — along with the oldest air bags in service in any region.
“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,” Rosekind said.
In a statement Takata said it agreed to the expanded recalls, but it downplayed the possible dangers in the cars covered by the new action.
“Takata is not aware of any ruptures, in the field or in testing, in the inflator products in vehicles that would be covered by this new order, nor is Takata aware of any new data or scientific analysis that suggests any substantial risk with respect to such vehicles,” the company said.
It also stressed that all of its new inflators come with dessicant that mitigates against the heat and humidity effects.
DEATHS IN MALAYSIA
Two people have died in Malaysia after air bag inflators made by Japan’s Takata exploded, carmaker Honda announced, raising the global toll to 13.
The latest deaths came in April in Sabah state on Malaysia’s Borneo island and in the northern Kedah state in May.
“Honda has confirmed that the Takata single stage driver’s air bag inflators ruptured in two crashes in April and May respectively in Malaysia,” Honda Malaysia said in a statement.
“Both crashes resulted in the tragic deaths of the drivers,” it said, adding that the official cause of death in the the incidents had yet to be determined.
The auto giant also said that it had issued a recall notice for the Honda City vehicles in 2014 and 2015 requiring the driver’s front air bag inflators to be replaced.
In 2014, a pregnant Malaysian and her unborn baby died when a Takata airbag malfunctioned.
The decision came after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that the inflators are prone to ruptures that have been tied to 11 deaths worldwide, and adds to nearly 29 million Takata air bags already recalled.
The announcement represented an acceleration of planned recalls over the next three years as evidence of the reason behind the exploding inflators became more clear.
Investigators have tied accidents in which air bag inflators ruptured, sending shrapnel into car drivers and passengers, to the deterioration of the inflators’ ammonium nitrate propellant under high humidity and fluctuating heat conditions.
More than 100 incidents and 10 deaths have been tied to the issue in the United States.
The latest was a 17 year old Texas teenager who died from injuries sustained on March 31, after her 2002 Honda Civic collided with another car, activating a defective Takata air bag.
“The science clearly shows that these inflators become unsafe over time, faster when exposed to humidity and variations of temperature,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.
Rosekind pointed out that the previous recalls had already covered those inflator models specifically responsible for the known incidents.
The new recall, which will involve tens of millions of cars of a broad range of makes and models, covers additional Takata inflator types that do not include a desiccant that absorbs moisture.
It will be phased in over the next three years, with the priority on those with the highest risk, based on the age of the inflators and their exposure to high temperatures and humidity.
NHTSA testing found that the service life expectancies of Takata inflators could vary from six years to 25 years, depending on the heat and humidity conditions.
The first air bags covered in the new recall will be those in hot and humid climates which would have shorter lifespans — generally the southern part of the US — along with the oldest air bags in service in any region.
“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,” Rosekind said.
In a statement Takata said it agreed to the expanded recalls, but it downplayed the possible dangers in the cars covered by the new action.
“Takata is not aware of any ruptures, in the field or in testing, in the inflator products in vehicles that would be covered by this new order, nor is Takata aware of any new data or scientific analysis that suggests any substantial risk with respect to such vehicles,” the company said.
It also stressed that all of its new inflators come with dessicant that mitigates against the heat and humidity effects.
DEATHS IN MALAYSIA
Two people have died in Malaysia after air bag inflators made by Japan’s Takata exploded, carmaker Honda announced, raising the global toll to 13.
The latest deaths came in April in Sabah state on Malaysia’s Borneo island and in the northern Kedah state in May.
“Honda has confirmed that the Takata single stage driver’s air bag inflators ruptured in two crashes in April and May respectively in Malaysia,” Honda Malaysia said in a statement.
“Both crashes resulted in the tragic deaths of the drivers,” it said, adding that the official cause of death in the the incidents had yet to be determined.
The auto giant also said that it had issued a recall notice for the Honda City vehicles in 2014 and 2015 requiring the driver’s front air bag inflators to be replaced.
In 2014, a pregnant Malaysian and her unborn baby died when a Takata airbag malfunctioned.
