NHTSA May Add 7 More Carmakers to Takata Airbag Inflator Recall
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may expand its recall of cars equipped with potentially fatal Takata Corp. airbag inflators to include seven more producers, Bloomberg News reports.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may expand its recall of cars equipped with potentially fatal Takata Corp. airbag inflators to include seven more producers, Bloomberg News reports.
The current recall involves 11 car and truck manufacturers and about 19 million vehicles in the U.S. that are equipped with Takata inflators. The devices can deteriorate under high temperature and humidity, then explode when triggered in a crash.
Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Spartan Motors, Suzuki, Tesla, Volvo Trucks and Volkswagen used similar Takata inflators but so far have not recalled any affected vehicles. Last week NHTSA asked them to reveal whether they plan recalls and detail any challenges they would face if ordered to do so.
The agency is concerned about the ammonium nitrate propellant Takata uses. Researchers say the material is sensitive to heat and moisture, which can change its composition over time and cause it to misfire.
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