The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has directed Japanese Company, Takata Corp to recall millions of cars, SUVs and trucks fitted with its potentially faulty driver’s-side airbag inflators.
Four persons have reported to have died and dozens have received injuries due to the defect in the Takata air bags. According to reports, the fault is the propellant canister inside some airbags that can explode and send shrapnel all over the car causing injuries to driver as well as the passengers.
While the Japanese automaker has already initiated recall of cars in the high-humidity areas like Hawaii, Gulf Coast and Puerto Rico, the NHTSA wants the recall of cars to take place on a national level, and not just regionally.
Takata has stated that only prolonged exposure to moisture can make the propellant to burn quickly, so a broader recall isn’t supported by proof. On the other hand NHTSA is adamant over its demand. It has warned to use its statutory powers if the automaker does not ensure voluntary national recall quickly. It says their demand is provoked by an incident that took place due to a faulty air bag in North Carolina which is not in the high-humidity region list marked for recalls by Takata Corp.
The demand of NHTSA is likely to affect top car brands using Takata airbags such as BMW, Honda, Ford, Mistsubishi, Toyota, Pontiac, Chrysler, Mazda, Dodge/Ram, Nissan, Subaru, Acura and Saab.
Image Courtesy: OiMax
This entry was posted in: Car News
Tagged: airbag, airbag recall, NHTSA
