Among all the Japanese products we know and use the Takata airbag is largely unknown. But for millions of owners of major Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan, the Takata airbag is right there in front of them every day. Now Takata, the world second largest supplier of airbags and seat belts, and these car makers, have recalled some 3.4 million vehicles around the world because of concerns that some of the airbags might catch fire or cause injury. Engineers say the airbag for the front passenger seat may not inflate correctly because of a manufacturing defect in the propellant used in the airbag inflator. As a result, there is a risk of fires starting or of passengers being injured by metal fragments shooting up toward the windshield or down into the passenger foot well. So far there have been no reports of such injuries occurring. Takata said it learned of the problem from an automaker it did not identify in October 2011 after an airbag deployment in Japan. It learned of a Honda accident in Puerto Rico the following month, according to documents filed with U.S. safety regulators. From February 2012 through June last year, Takata could not reproduce the problem in testing, but that autumn the supplier was alerted to three additional incidents – two in Puerto Rico and one in Maryland – according to documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By October 2012, Takata concluded it was possible that the propellant in certain wafers made at its plant in Moses Lake, Washington, might be inadequately compressed, which could lead to the rupture, according to NHTSA documents. By March this year, it also discovered that some wafers used in inflators made at a plant in Monclova, Mexico, for a year ending in late October 2002 may have been exposed to excess moisture, which could lead to a rupture, according to the NHTSA documents. Takata is aware of only six cases where an inflator ruptured in vehicles in the field – four in the United States and two in Japan – as well as six cases in salvage yards in Japan, according to NHTSA documents.Japanese Big 4 car makers issue airbag recall
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Among all the Japanese products we know and use the Takata airbag is largely unknown. But for millions of owners of major Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan, the Takata airbag is right there in front of them every day. Now Takata, the world second largest supplier of airbags and seat belts, and these car makers, have recalled some 3.4 million vehicles around the world because of concerns that some of the airbags might catch fire or cause injury. Engineers say the airbag for the front passenger seat may not inflate correctly because of a manufacturing defect in the propellant used in the airbag inflator. As a result, there is a risk of fires starting or of passengers being injured by metal fragments shooting up toward the windshield or down into the passenger foot well. So far there have been no reports of such injuries occurring. Takata said it learned of the problem from an automaker it did not identify in October 2011 after an airbag deployment in Japan. It learned of a Honda accident in Puerto Rico the following month, according to documents filed with U.S. safety regulators. From February 2012 through June last year, Takata could not reproduce the problem in testing, but that autumn the supplier was alerted to three additional incidents – two in Puerto Rico and one in Maryland – according to documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By October 2012, Takata concluded it was possible that the propellant in certain wafers made at its plant in Moses Lake, Washington, might be inadequately compressed, which could lead to the rupture, according to NHTSA documents. By March this year, it also discovered that some wafers used in inflators made at a plant in Monclova, Mexico, for a year ending in late October 2002 may have been exposed to excess moisture, which could lead to a rupture, according to the NHTSA documents. Takata is aware of only six cases where an inflator ruptured in vehicles in the field – four in the United States and two in Japan – as well as six cases in salvage yards in Japan, according to NHTSA documents.