Automakers to reveal models covered by wider air bag recall
May 23, 2015, 6:06 AM
FILE - This Oct. 22, 2014, file photo, shows the Takata building, an automotive parts supplier in Auburn Hills, Mich. On Tuesday, May 19, 2015, Takata doubled the size of its air bag recall to 33.8 million air bags, making it the largest recall in U.S. history. The air bags can inflate with too much force, sending metal shrapnel into drivers and passengers. So far the problem has caused six deaths, including five in the U.S. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
DETROIT (AP) — Eleven automakers are expected next week to reveal which models are being added to a massive recall of air bags made by Takata Corp.
On Tuesday, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a deal with Takata to declare millions of its air bag inflators defective and expand the recall from 17 million to 33.8 million. The air bag inflators can explode with too much force, spewing metal fragments into the passenger compartment.
Automakers including Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are scrambling to figure out which models are now covered.
Many questions about the problem remain unanswered as an investigation continues, but here’s what you need to know about the largest automotive recall in U.S. history:
THE DANGER
In a crash, the air bag propellant can burn too fast, blowing apart a metal inflator canister. Six people have died and at least 105 have been injured due to the problem.
THE SOLUTION
Takata’s agreement with U.S. regulators added millions of cars and trucks to existing recalls by 11 manufacturers — BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Daimler Trucks, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. Takata will need 33.8 million inflators for the repairs — so far it has made 3.8 million. At Takata’s estimated rate of production, it will take 2
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