General Motors is the latest in a long list of automakers that may be forced to recall an additional number of vehicles, which are equipped with the defective airbag inflators supplied by Takata.
The number is estimated at 4.3 million, according to AutomotiveNews, which could cost the US-based giant an additional $550 million in repairs, if regulators will go ahead and give a green light on the call-back.
However, unlike the inflators supplied to other carmakers by Takata Motor Corp. that lack a drying agent, GM’s ones are designed with different venting for hot gases released when the airbag deploys, according to the report. This makes officials within the company believe that there isn’t a safety defect in any of the 6.8 million vehicles recalled.
Despite the report that was posted after 44,000 deployments were tested for rupturing in large pickups and SUVs, General Motors agreed to collaborate and issue a safety campaign after talks with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), whose spokesperson, Bryan Thomas, said: “The science clearly shows that these inflators become unsafe over time, faster when exposed to humidity and variations of temperature.“
Defective Takata airbags, affecting as much as 100 million vehicles globally, have led to the automotive industry’s largest recall campaign ever. All over the world, local authorities or customers have started to file lawsuits against the Japanese parts supplier, which is blamed to have been responsible for up to 15 deaths and approximately 150 injuries, due to their airbag inflators that explode with excessive force and spread shrapnel throughout the cabin.
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