Air bag inflator recall to grow by 35 million to 40 million
WASHINGTON (AP) — Takata will recall another 35 million to 40 million air bag inflators, a stunning increase that will more than double what already is the largest automotive recall in American history, the federal government announced Wednesday.
Most of the expansion is for front passenger air bags that were not part of previous recalls, said Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Air bag manufacturers have had trouble making enough replacement inflators, and automakers have had difficulty finding owners and persuading them to get cars repaired.
Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create an explosion that inflates air bags in a crash.
[...] it does not cover side air bags without the drying agent, nor does it cover another 32 million air bags that have the desiccant.
The government and an independent expert it hired reviewed three independent investigations and confirmed findings that the problem is caused by time, airborne moisture and temperature fluctuations that can degrade the ammonium nitrate, the agency said.
Even without the expansion, it would have taken until the end of 2017 for enough replacement parts to be manufactured, said Scott Upham, CEO of Valient Market Research in Rochester, New York, which tracks air bag sales.