As part of a global effort to rectify the safety issue of cars equipped with Takata airbag inflators, BMW has announced a new recall that covers roughly 110,000 vehicles in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The safety campaign covers 44 models and includes the 116i and 118i hatchbacks and 320i sedans, and focuses on the front passenger airbag made by the Japanese parts supplier, on cars produced between 2004 and 2012, according to AutoNews.
BMW’s decision follows Japan’s transport ministry order from May to recall another 7 million cars equipped with Takata airbag inflators in the Asian country, which use ammonium nitrate-based propellant and lack a drying agent. Due to prolonged exposure to hot and humid conditions, these have a tendency to explode with excessive force in the event of a crash, spreading metal shrapnel at occupants, and are responsible for at least 14 deaths and 150 injuries globally.
The faulty airbag inflators have taken a huge chunk out of Takata’s revenues and the supplier is currently on the lookout for a financial backer, after the company’s stock price has plunged by almost 90 percent since early 2014. Takata is also facing liabilities that could pile up to billions of dollars.
Note: BMW 116i Fashionista pictured
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