Takata Offers to Pay for Some U.S. Airbag Recalls

Takata Corp. tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it will help carmakers replace certain airbag inflators it supplied between 2000 and 2007, Reuters reports.

But the company adds that "neither Takata nor the vehicle manufacturers conducting these field actions would be expected to admit that its products contain such a defect."

Last year carmakers recalled about 4 million vehicles worldwide to replace Takata inflators that could explode and spray shrapnel into the passenger compartment in a crash. Now Honda, Nissan and Toyota are either expanding those recalls or calling back vehicles that were only inspected in the first campaign.

Takata has blamed the problem on manufacturing errors. It says humid climates appear to be responsible for breaking down the inflator propellant and causing it to burn too fast when triggered.

Takata's offer covers vehicles sold in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota.

The campaign would encompass certain driver airbag inflators made from January 2004 through June 2007 and certain passenger airbag inflators produced from June 2000 through July 2004.