Carmakers Add 12 Million Vehicles to U.S. Takata Recalls

Eight carmakers have announced new or expanded recalls in the U.S. and its territories to replace another 12 million Takata Corp. airbag inflators that could misfire. The devices have been blamed for 13 fatalities and more than 130 injuries worldwide.

Nearly 90% of the total is represented by campaigns being launched by Honda (4.5 million), Fiat Chrysler (4.3 million) and Toyota (1.7 million).

Germany’s Bild reports that BMW will join the group with a recall of 120,000 of its X5 and X6 crossover models. BMW did not immediately confirm the report.

More than a dozen manufacturers already are calling back 29 million Takata inflators that might explode when triggered in a crash, blasting metal shrapnel into the passenger compartment. The new campaigns target the passenger-side front airbag, including those in vehicles whose driver-side Takata airbag inflators were recalled previously.

Earlier this month Takata announced through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that 13.9 million of its inflators in areas with high temperatures and humidity are defective. The company identified six types of inflator devices. Takata has agreed to declare over the next four years that as many as 40 million additional inflators are defective.

This week’s new inflator recalls by manufacturer are:

• Ferrari: 2,800
• Fiat Chrysler: 4,322,900
• Honda: 4,506,500
• Mazda: 731,600
• Mitsubishi: 38,600
• Nissan: 402,500
• Subaru: 383,100
• Toyota: 1,654,700

Details about specific models can be found at each manufacturer’s websites or by visiting www.safecar.gov.