Hours after reports began swirling that federal regulators were poised to more than double the already massive Takata airbag inflator recall at some point this week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it had amended a previous order and directed the Japanese parts maker to add 35 to 40 million additional airbags to the recall list that already includes 28 million shrapnel-shooting airbags. [More]
Takata
Deadly Airbag Recall Expected To Grow By Up To 35 Million This Week
By 5.4.16
Takata’s massive airbag inflator recall could more than double this week, as U.S. safety regulators are reportedly poised to announced the addition of 35 million safety devices to the recall list that already includes 28 million shrapnel-shooting airbags. [More]
84 Million Airbags Could Be Added To Recall If Takata Can’t Prove Inflators Are Safe
By 4.15.16
More than 28 million Takata airbags have already been recalled after they were found to deploy with such force that pieces of shrapnel shoot at drivers and passengers. Regulators now say that figure could increase by 84 million airbags if the Japanese auto parts maker can’t prove other inflators are safe. [More]
Honda Recalls 11K Sedans Because They Contain The Wrong Airbag
By 4.11.16
Over the past several years, Honda has recalled nearly eight million vehicles equipped with Takata airbags that can shoot shrapnel at drivers and passengers upon deployment. While replacing those safety devices, the carmaker discovered that some vehicles were fitted with the incorrect front passenger airbags. [More]
Tenth Takata-Related Death Reported In Texas
By 4.6.16
The death last month of a Texas driver has been ruled to be the tenth in the U.S. — eleventh worldwide — related to the massive recall of Takata airbags that can shoot shrapnel at drivers and passengers upon deployment. [More]
Complete Airbag Recall Could Cost Takata $24B In Worst-Case Scenario
By 3.30.16
With the massive Takata airbag recall seemingly growing by millions of vehicles and inflators every few weeks, the Japanese auto parts maker is looking to the future of its wallet, determining that if a comprehensive recall of the company’s inflators eventually occurs it will spend roughly $24 billion. [More]
BMW Gets Extension To Come Up With Takata Replacement Parts
By 3.25.16
Automakers of cars equipped with defective Takata airbags have just a week to stockpile enough replacement parts to fix the vehicles deemed to be the most at risk for a rupture. That is, all of the carmakers beside BMW, which now has five additional months, after tests of its chosen replacement parts failed safety tests. [More]
Toyota Recalls Nearly 200,000 More Vehicles Equipped With Takata Airbags
By 3.2.16
The often criticized piecemeal approach to recalling vehicles equipped with shrapnel-shooting Takata airbags continued today as Toyota announced the recall of nearly 200,000 cars in the U.S. [More]
NHTSA: Recalling All Takata Airbags Wouldn’t Make Cars Safer
By 3.1.16
Frustrated by a piecemeal approach of recalling batches of affected vehicles here and there, lawmakers and safety advocates recently pushed for a recall of all cars equipped with shrapnel-shooting Takata airbags. But federal safety regulators say that this sort of all-at-once recall may actually do more harm than good. [More]
Senate Report Claims Takata Falsified Data On Airbag Inflators
By 2.24.16
Less than a month after an independent review panel hired by Takata — the company behind the ongoing recall of millions of defective, potentially dangerous, airbags — found that the Japanese auto parts maker lacks quality control processes and policies to address defects, a Senate panel report backed up the findings and found the company falsified some test data about certain airbag components. [More]
Investigators: Deadly Takata Airbag Explosions Caused By Mix Of 3 Factors
By 2.23.16
For nearly a year, federal regulators and researchers have pointed the finger at the volatile chemical ammonium nitrate found in Takata-produced airbags as the reason the safety devices can rupture with such violence that pieces of shrapnel are sent flying at drivers and passengers. Today, a consortium of 10 automakers are expected to announce that the chemical is just one factor in the deadly defect. [More]
Takata Airbag Recall Could Expand To Cover 90M Units
By 2.22.16
The nation’s largest vehicle recall could soon be even bigger: federal safety regulators are currently discussing the possibility of expanding Takata’s shrapnel-shooting airbag recall to cover another 70 million to 90 million inflators. [More]
Regulators Urged To Recall Every Vehicle Equipped With A Takata Airbag, But The Data Isn’t There Yet
By 2.17.16
A day after General Motors recalled nearly 200,000 of its previously discontinued Saturn and Saab vehicles as part of the ongoing Takata airbag defect debacle, federal regulators hinted that a complete recall of all vehicles with any airbag by the Japanese parts maker could happen, eventually. [More]
Volkswagen Begrudgingly Complied With Regulators’ Request For Takata Airbag Recall
By 2.12.16
Earlier this week, Volkswagen announced the recall of 840,000 Audi and VW-branded vehicles equipped with shrapnel-shooting Takata airbags. But according to documents recently posted by regulators, the already embattled carmaker resisted the safety initiative. [More]
UPDATE: VW, Audi & BMW Specify Vehicles Affected By Latest Takata Recall; Mercedes-Benz Recalls 840K Cars
By 2.10.16
UPDATE: Hours after announcing its first recall related to Takata’s shrapnel-shooting airbags, Volkswagen and Audi revealed just which cars were affected by the defect. [More]
Honda Recalls 1.7M Additional Cars Over Takata Airbag Defect; Reminds Dealers Not To Sell Them
By 2.3.16
Honda warned dealers this week that they could be held liable if they sell a vehicle equipped with unrepaired Takata airbags and it explodes, injuring a passenger or driver in an accident. The warning comes as the carmaker issued a stop-sale for and once again expanded — by 1.7 million — the number of its vehicles affected by the ongoing safety device defect. [More]
Panel: Takata Lacks Quality Control Processes, Policies For Addressing Defects
By 2.3.16
An independent review panel hired by Takata — the company behind the ongoing recall of millions of defective, potentially dangerous, airbags — found that the parts maker lacks processes to improve the quality of its products, or to adequately address problems in its devices once they are installed in vehicles.
[More]
Reports: Takata CEO Will Offer To Resign Tomorrow
By 1.28.16
After 25 million vehicles containing its airbags have been recalled, tomorrow the Japanese auto parts supplier Takata will present its business plans to its carmaker clients. According to company sources, CEO Shigehisa Takada and other top executives will offer to resign from the company. Theres no successor in place ready to take over if the automakers do ask him to resign. Update: Takata now says that the CEO does not plan to resign. [More]
