Takata recalls another 35 million airbag inflators

Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata Corp. is recalling another 35 million to 40 million airbag inflators, adding to what was already the largest auto recall in United States history.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Wednesday that Takata is adding to the 28.8 million inflators that already must be replaced. The expanded recalls will take place in phases between May 2016 and December 2019.

{mosads}“Today’s action is a significant step in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s aggressive oversight of Takata on behalf of drivers and passengers across America,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

“The acceleration of this recall is based on scientific evidence and will protect all Americans from air bag inflators that may become unsafe.”

Safety regulators said the decision to expand the recalls was based on the findings of three separate investigations into Takata airbag ruptures.

The company’s inflators use ammonium nitrate to fill airbags in a crash, but they can explode with too much force and spray shrapnel into the vehicle. At least 10 deaths in the U.S. have been linked to the faulty airbags, including most recently a 17-year-old Texas girl who was involved in a minor crash while driving a 2002 Honda Civic.

The expanded recalls will include all ammonium nitrate-based propellant front airbag inflators without a chemical drying agent, known as a desiccant.

More than a dozen car companies are currently recalling vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, but some lawmakers have called on NHTSA to accelerate the pace of progress.

“Clearly, there are too many defective airbags still on the roads,” said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-Texas), in a joint statement.

“NHTSA, Takata, and automakers need to buckle down, do more, and work together to get these defective airbags off the road.”

The expanded recalls are likely to step up financial pressure on Takata. The company’s stock has deeply declined, and it announced $189 million in financial losses for the fiscal year ended in March due to recall costs and lawsuits.