Toyota announced that it would replace Takata airbag inflators in 1.6 million cars in Japan that had previously been recalled after concluding that they may still be unsafe. The recall affects around 22 domestic models produced between 2004 and 2008. The initial recalls were conducted in May and June this year.
The decision was prompted after a passenger in a Nissan X-Trail SUV was injured last month when an airbag ruptured, despite the inflator having been checked in an earlier inspection and was deemed to be safe. Nissan had to reissue a recall for around 310,000 vehicles in Japan due to the incident.
During earlier inspections, automakers had checked the inflators using ammonium nitrate for air leaks and deemed some safe enough not to be replaced. But Toyota said that it would now replace all of those inflators citing a lack of confidence in its safety, although no injuries were reported in Toyota vehicles related to the latest defect, so far.
There’s also no further information on how this may affect recalls outside Japan.
Takata’s exploding inflators are allegedly responsible for 8 deaths and nearly 100 injuries worldwide. The parts contain an ammonium nitrate propellant, and experts believe that long-term exposure to moisture can lead to excess pressure when the chemical ignites during a deployment.
Recently, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Nissan, and Ford have decided to no longer use the supplier’s ammonium nitrate inflators in future vehicles. Mitsubishi and Subaru are also considering the same choice.
Source: Reuters
