The 2005 Chrysler 300C is included in the latest expansion of Chrysler's airbag recall.
Chrysler is the latest automaker to expand its recall of vehicles equipped with potentially defective airbags provided by the embattled Japanese supplier Takata.
The announcement came hours after the Detroit automaker met with a group of nine rivals in an effort to understand the problems with the airbag systems that have so far been linked to at least five deaths and 46 injuries in the U.S. alone.
Chrysler will boost its recall of Takata-equipped vehicles by 208,783. It’s the second time in a week that the smallest of the Detroit makers expanded its effort to deal with the airbag problem. Chrysler now has recalled 617,000 vehicles with the suspect Takata safety systems. But the figure jumps to nearly 11 million when other manufacturers are factored in.
The problem centers around the inflators used in some Takata airbags. Under some conditions they can explode when triggered during a crash, sending shrapnel flying into the passenger compartment. The extent of the problem has been a matter of debate and was initially believed to plague only those vehicles used in high-humidity areas of the country, such as Florida, Louisiana, Guam and Puerto Rico.
(New nominee for NHTSA chief promises to step up recalls, safety actions. Click Herefor more.)
In October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decided to follow up on a series of individual recalls announced by manufacturers including Honda – Takata’s largest customer – Toyota, Chrysler and others. It ordered a regionally focused recall of 7.8 million vehicles. Last month, however, NHTSA moved to expand that unprecedented action to cover all vehicles sold in the U.S. using the suspect, driver’s side airbag systems.
During a Senate hearing last week, a senior Takata official said he saw “no evidence” to justify expanding the recall. But several manufacturers, starting with Honda, agreed on their own to add more vehicles to the list. Still more makers have been taking similar steps over the past few days.
(Honda expands airbag recall even as Takata refuses to obey NHTSA order. Click Herefor the story.)
Honda and Toyota, meanwhile, called for an industry-wide probe to try to get a better understanding of what precisely is causing the failure of Takata airbags. The problem has been linked by the supplier to a manufacturing defect at two North American plants. But some skeptics, including Center for Auto Safety Director Clarence Ditlow, argue that the problem is a fundamental design flaw that can cause explosions even in drier climates.
Representative of ten automakers met on Thursday in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, including Toyota Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Mazda Motor Co., BMW AG, Nissan Motor Co, Mitsubishi Motors and Subaru of America. All have had vehicles involved in Takata-related recalls this year.
In a joint statement, the group said, “The objective of seeking an outside expert to test these inflators is to promote the safety, security and peace of mind for all customers. Based on the initial organizing meeting today, we feel we have positive momentum and look forward to the next steps of the process.”
By pooling data and examining airbag systems from vehicles still in the field the group hopes to get a better understanding of why some Takata airbags have failed catastrophically. They also want to learn if the problem affects more than just the driver’s side airbags. Another critical question is whether the replacement inflators Takata is providing will face similar problems in the future.
(Recalls aside, vehicles becoming safer than ever. Click Here to see why.)