5 million airbags have been recalled after another death
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which announced a record $200 million on Takata for providing inadequate and inaccurate information about airbags and failing to recall them quickly enough in November last year, has now recalled another five million airbags in cars in the United States.
iafrica has reported that safety officials have recalled the five million Takata airbags covering the driver-side and for the first time it includes cars from Volkswagen and Audi. Other automakers taking part in the recall include Ford, Honda Motor Co, Mazda Motor Corp and BMW AG.
“It’s a massive safety crisis,” says NHTSA spokesperson Gordon Trowbridge. The issue is that the inflators for the airbags can erupt and send metal shards in to occupants of the vehicle. So far, nine people have died in incidents tied to the airbag problem and one outside the country.
The Japanese company has been forced to recall some 28 million airbags in cars around the world because of an issue which it is accused of trying to hide. This new recall comes after a person died in a crash in South Carolina in December with the airbag being considered a factor. Trowbridge said December’s death caused a reassessment that required “immediate action.”
Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business professor, said the expanding recall “sheds light on the risks of having a supplier be the source for so many cars across so many companies.”