Takata adding 2.7M vehicles to air bag recall
2005-12 Ford, Nissan, Mazda models affected
DETROIT — Takata is adding 2.7 million vehicles from Ford, Nissan and Mazda to the long list of those being recalled to replace potentially dangerous air bag inflators.
The inflators are a new type that was previously thought to be safe. Vehicles affected are from the 2005 through 2012 model years.
Takata inflators can explode with too much force and spew shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least 17 people have died and more than 180 injured due to the problem. The inflators have caused the largest automotive recall in U.S. history with 42 million vehicles and up to 69 million inflators being called back for repairs.
Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to inflate air bags. But it can deteriorate when exposed to high humidity and high temperatures. Previously the company believed that a drying agent called a desiccant stopped the chemical from degrading and the inflatorswere safe.
But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in a statement Tuesday that tests done by Takata show that for the first time, a type of desiccated inflator “will pose a safety risk if not replaced.” The agency says it has no reports of any inflators with the desiccant rupturing.
Nissan said the new recall affects just over 515,000 Versa subcompact hatchback and sedans from the 2007 through 2012 model years. Mazda said its recall covers about 6,000B-Series trucks from 2007 through 2009. Ford, which has the most vehicles involved in the latest recall, is reviewing the information and will file a list of models within the five days required by law.
Takata said in documents filed with the safety agency that it tested inflators returned from Nissan and Fordvehicleswhichuse calcium sulfate as a drying agent. Although none of the inflators blew apart, some showeda pattern of deterioration “that is understood to predict a future risk of inflator rupture.”
NHTSA said in a statement that not all Takata inflators with a desiccant are being recalled.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, DFla., said Tuesday that NHTSAneeds tomove faster to figure out whether all remaining Takata inflators are safe. “This recall now raises serious questions about the threat posed by all of Takata’s ammonium nitrateair bags,” Nelson said in a statement.
The NHTSA is urging people whose inflators have been recalled to get them replaced as soon as possible. To find out if your car or truck is part of the recall, go to nhtsa.gov/recalls and key in theVIN. Itmay take a few days for models in the most recent recall to showup.