Any chance of the Takata airbag recall coming to an end anytime soon has come to a halt with more bad news for the airbag manufacturer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced an expansion of the massive airbag recall after the fatality of 52-year-old Joel Knight last month, caused by a ruptured airbag inflator.
NHTSA has stated that Takata will recall another 5 million vehicles for drivers-side airbag inflators. This brings the total number of inflators recalled to 28 million, with the NHTSA still trying to figure out the total number of vehicles affected, as some have been subject to multiple recalls.
Automakers that are currently impacted by this new recall are:
- Audi
- BMW
- Ford
- Honda
- Mazda
- Mercedes-Benz
- Saab
- Volkswagen
All of the recalled airbags are equipped with ammonium nitrate propellant. These airbags are dangerous to consumers due to their instability, and are especially unstable in high-humidity regions, such as southeastern United States.
Ongoing tests have only solidified the NHTSA’s belief that all Takata airbags are equipped with ammonium nitrate propellant, and may result in further recalls.
Last November, Takata was ordered to stop making inflators with ammonium nitrate and was issued a $200 million fine from the NHTSA. You can find a list of all vehicles makes and models that have been recalled on NHTSA’s dedicated Takata recall page.
