Takata has just been ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall nearly 40 million additional airbags in the U.S. Their malfunctioning inflators have already killed a dozen people around the world.
This will more than double the number of vehicles recalled in the U.S. to correct airbag inflators made by Takata, according to Bloomberg.
The new recall, consisting in five phases through 2019, will include all airbag inflators that don’t have a desiccant to reduce moisture, a factor thought to contribute to misfires that spray bits of metal into the passenger compartment.
“This issue is urgent,” said Mark Rosekind, NHTSA administrator. “The science clearly shows these inflators can become more dangerous over time.”
For now, we don’t know which vehicles will be targeted by this latest recall campaign. Come back soon for further details.