Toyota to recall 1.6 mn more US cars over Takata airbags

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LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP)  5/24/2016 – Toyota said it will recall nearly 1.6 million more vehicles in the United States to correct possible defects in front passenger air bag inflators made by the Japanese company Takata.

The decision, which was announced Monday, was made based on recent information from both Takata and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Toyota said in a statement.

In early May, US auto safety regulators ordered Takata to recall between 35 million and 40 million airbags installed in US cars — including in Toyotas, Hondas and other big-name vehicles — in a push to replace dangerously explosive inflators.

The decision came after the NHTSA concluded that the inflators are prone to ruptures, adding to nearly 29 million Takata airbags already recalled in the US.

Some 50 million have been recalled globally.

The decision affects some models of Corollas, Lexus and Scion made between 2006 and 2011.

“Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the air bag inflator or the air bag assembly at no cost,” Toyota said.

US investigators have linked accidents in which airbag inflators ruptured, injuring drivers and passengers with shrapnel, to the deterioration of the inflators’ ammonium nitrate propellant under high humidity and fluctuating heat conditions.

More than 100 incidents and 10 deaths have been linked to the issue in the United States.

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