More Vehicles Recalled Due to Faulty Airbags

VOA News
9 June 2016 (4:23AM)

Honda has recalled 784,000 vehicles in Japan because of dangerous airbag inflators made by Takata Corp, the Japanese automaker announced Thursday.

This is the most recent of many recalls of the faulty airbags that are powered by chemicals which have been found to deteriorate spontaneously with prolonged exposure to high humidity, causing the airbag to deploy far more forcefully than normal and sending metal and plastic shrapnel into drivers and passengers.

More than 100 million vehicles have been recalled worldwide because of these airbags which have been linked to 13 deaths and over 100 injuries.

The U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has imposed a record $200 million fine on Takata for failing to warn the public and government about the faulty bags.

The agency recently ordered carmakers to recall an additional 40 million airbags, on top of the 50 million that have already been ordered off the streets.

Takata has had difficulty producing enough replacement parts for the recalled vehicles.