Takata's airbag recall cost could reach $24 Billion

Takata is the provider of airbags for various carmakers and is facing a massive recall of its airbag inflators which have proven defective on various vehicles. The cumulative recall of the inflators is expected to cost the company $24 billion. 

A source told Bloomberg that the comprehensive callback of Takata's airbag inflators would cost about 2.7 trillion yen ($24 billion) and involve the recall of 287.5 million airbag inflators. Takata and the automakers still have to determine how the costs are shared, the person said. Takata has declined to comment as of this time.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Takata airbag inflators have caused nine fatalities in the U.S. by rupturing and spraying plastic and metal shards at motorists. The regulator is investigating all Takata inflators that use a chemical propellant that's been banned from future modelsand gives the company until as long as the end of 2019 to determine the root cause of the flaw or prove the inflators are safe.

Source: Autonews

Toyota recalls 33,264 more cars in Canada over airbag defects

Photo courtesy of Reuters/Toru Hanai

Toyota recalls an additional 33,264 vehicles in Canada over issues with the frontal airbags. According to the Canadian government, the latest recall by Toyota of its vehicles pushes up the total in the country to 400,214 cars since 2013. Toyota has announced it’s expanding the recall of the defective Takata Corp airbag parts around the world. It’s said that the inflators in these airbags can activate with too much force, which could send potentially deadly metal shards into the passenger compartment. The total recall worldwide so far is at 15,314,000 Toyota cars.

Source: Reuters

Expert says Takata is ‘facing a crisis that may prove difficult to overcome’

One of the most persistent automotive news stories has been the massive number of recalls from dozens of car manufacturers due to defective Takata-made airbags. More specifically, the issue involves defective inflator and propellent devices that may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, shooting metal fragments into vehicle occupants. Approximately 34 million vehicles are potentially affected in the United States, and another 7 million have been recalled worldwide.

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Audi and VW recall Q5 and Tiguan crossovers to replace Takata inflators

 Audi and VW are recalling  734 examples of the 2015 Tiguan with production dates between January 15, 2015, and January 21, 2015, and the 2015 Q5 built between January 13, 2015, and February 3, 2015. What is being replaced are airbag inflators that can rupture after a crash. 

This recall is the latest one of many for Takata related airbag issues. Honda recently recalled 2.2 million cars due to faulty Takata airbags. A side airbag ruptured in a 2015 Tiguan in June 2015, and the driver sustained slight injuries under the left arm. The person didn't need to seek medical attention. VW and Audi will advise owners on the recall.

Source: Autoblog and NBCNews