GM Gets More Time on Takata Airbag Inflator Recall

General Motors Co. has been granted a delay to next September before recalling 2.5 million vehicles equipped with potentially dangerous Takata Corp. airbag inflators.

GM agreed in May to recall the targeted 2007-2011 model fullsize pickup trucks and SUVs. But the company has argued that the unique design of the Takata inflators in its vehicles makes them safe and therefore not in need of replacement.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has decided to give GM more time to conduct long-term tests on the devices. The agency says it could cancel the recall if GM can prove its inflators won't deteriorate and misfire in a crash.

GM and more than a dozen other carmakers are recalling about 100 million Takata inflators worldwide that can explode and blast metal shards into the passenger compartment. The devices have been blamed for 17 fatalities and more than 130 injuries.

GM figures as many as 6.8 million of its vehicles, all equipped with the same inflator design, could avoid being recalled if proven safe. The company says it would cost $870 million to replace the inflators in those vehicles.