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Takata to Seek Aid, May Partner with Rival on Airbag Inflators
Takata Corp. is preparing to launch a sweeping new strategy to survive ever-expanding recalls of its faulty airbag inflators, Reuters reports.
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Takata Corp. is preparing to launch a sweeping new strategy to survive ever-expanding recalls of its faulty airbag inflators, Reuters reports.
The news service says Takata plans to replace its senior management, seek financial aid from its Japanese carmaker customers and partner with rival Daicel Corp. to produce safer replacement devices.
Takata’s inflators, which use ammonium nitrate as a propellant, have been linked to 10 fatalities and more than 100 injuries. The material is sensitive to moisture and apparently can deteriorate under prolonged exposure to hot and humid conditions. The propellant may then explode when triggered in a crash, spewing shrapnel into the passenger compartment.
A dozen carmakers are recalling roughly 40 million vehicles worldwide to replace Takata’s ammonium nitrate-based inflators with units that use a more stable propellant. The U.S. and Japan have banned the future use of ammonium nitrate propellants. Last week the U.S. expanded its recall of installed Takata inflators by 5 million vehicles.
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