Takata is expected to recall a further 35 million potentially explosive airbag inflators.
NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind is expected to announce the recall today.
Takata Corp – which is already involved in the largest recall in automotive history, with 29 million inflators – has 24 million vehicles already being recalled in the United States, involving 14 manufacturers and 22 vehicle brands.
Its faulty airbags – some made at ill-equipped factories with very poor quality assurance systems in place – were linked to 11 deaths and over 100 injuries.
The problem with the airbags is that ammonium nitrate – the chemical propellant that ignites the airbag inflators – can degrade over time. It then becomes very flammable and could potentially explode, blowing metal shards through a vehicle’s cabin.
It could take years to complete the new recall, analysts say.
