Takata airbag recall set to quadruple?

Reuters reports US auto safety regulators are examining whether an additional 70 million to 90 million Takata airbag inflators should be recalled because they may endanger drivers.

The latest estimate would nearly quadruple the 29 million inflators recalled so far and linked to nine deaths in the United States.

In all, as many as 120 million Takata inflators in US vehicles contain the same volatile chemical – ammonium nitrate – used in inflators that automakers have recalled, according to company documents reviewed by Reuters and verified by two former Takata managers. The total number has not been previously reported.

The Japanese supplier, one of the world’s largest airbag manufacturers, has said some inflators can rupture and explode with excessive force, spraying metal shards at vehicle occupants.

Takata declined to comment.

Source: Reuters