NHTSA Opens Probe on Takata Airbags

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating possible safety defects in 1.1 million vehicles equipped with airbag systems supplied by Takata Corp.

The defect has been linked to six injuries and two fatalities.

NHTSA's preliminary probe covers 2002-2006 models from Chrysler, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota.

The agency notes that BMW, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota have conducted recalls in recent years to address the same problem: Takata airbag inflators that could explode and spray shrapnel into the passenger cabin.

This week Toyota expanded an earlier recall to eliminate the defect. The company says it will now replace even airbags that appear okay because Takata's records aren't specific enough to identify which systems are defective.

NHTSA's probe was prompted by reports of driver or passenger frontal airbag ruptures in a Dodge Charger (2006 model), Honda Civic (2005), Mazda6 (2005), Nissan Sentra (2004) and two Toyota Corollas (2002, 2003). All six incidents occurred in high-humidity climates (Florida and Puerto Rico). But the agency notes that none of the earlier recalls was regional or linked to atmospheric conditions.