Thirteen automakers issued recalls for 652,000 more vehicles with defective Takata airbags.
More than a dozen automakers are engaging in another round of recalls involving faulty Takata airbag inflators impacting more than 652,000 vehicles in the U.S.
The largest recall in U.S. history continued when Audi, Nissan, Jaguar-Land Rover, Subaru, Daimler Vans, Tesla, Mitsubishi, BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes, Mazda, McLaren and Fisker issued recalls for front passenger inflators.
Takata’s inflators degrade over time and can explode with too much force sending pieces of metal shrapnel flying into the vehicle cabin. More than a dozen people have been killed as a result with hundreds more injured.
This action is part of the latest round of recalls for 5.7 million vehicles and 19 automakers. Overall, more than 69 million inflators have been recalled in 42 million cars in the U.S. More than 100 million inflators have been recalled globally.
(Takata pleads guilty in airbag scandal. For more, Click Here.)
Below are the vehicles involved in the recall:
- Audi: 2009 A4 Cabriolet, S4 Cabriolet, A6 Avant, A6 Sedan and S6 Sedan; 2005-2008 A4 Avant, A4 Sedan, A6 Sedan, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan; 2007-2008 A4 Cabriolet, RS4 Sedan, S4 Cabriolet and S6 Sedan; 2006-2008 A6 Avant; 2008 RS4 Cabriolet.
- Nissan: 2012 Versa hatchback; 2009-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, 2009 Nissan Versa; 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa.
- Jaguar-Land Rover: 2012 Jaguar XF, 2009 Jaguar XF, 2007-2009 and 2012 Range Rover.
- Subaru: 2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback and 2006-2011 Impreza. Also 2006 to 2012 Tribeca; 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX.
- Daimler vans: 2012 Freightliner 2500 and 3500 Sprinter and Mercedes-Benz 2500 and 3500 Sprinter; 2009 Dodge 2500 and 3500 Sprinter and Freightliner 2500 and 3500 Sprinter.
- Tesla: 2012 Model S
- Mitsubishi: 2012 and 2014 i-MiEV electric vehicles.
- BMW: 2012 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i, and X6 M. 2009 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i, and X5 M. 2008-2009 X6 xDrive 35i, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, and 2009 X5 xDrive35d. 2007-2008 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i and X5 M, and 2008 X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i, and X6 M.
- Ferrari: 2012 California, 458 Italia, 458 Spider, and FF.
- Mercedes-Benz: 2012 C300 4Matic, C250, C250 Coupe, C350, C350 Coupe 4Matic, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG, C63 AMG Coupe, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, GLK350 4Matic, GLK350, SLS AMG Cabrio, and SLS AMG Coupe. 2009 C300 4Matic, C300, C350 and C63 AMG. 2008 C300 4Matic, C300, and C350.
- Mazda: 2007-2009 B-Series trucks, 2012 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6, 2009 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6, 2007-2008 CX-7 and CX-9, 2009 RX-8, 2005-2006 MPV and 2005-2008 RX-8.
- McLaren: 2012 MP4-12C.
- Karma: 2012 Fisker Karma.
The recall comes less than a week after the Japanese supplier agreed to plead guilty and pay fines and restitution of about $1 billion.
(Takata expected to pay $1B as part of faulty airbag settlement. For more, Click Here.)
Reflecting what U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch this week called an effort to hold “flesh-and-blood individuals,” rather than just “faceless corporations” responsible for criminal activity, three Takata executives have been indicted in the scandal.
Takata acknowledged it not only produced defective airbags but took steps to conceal that information from both its automaker customers and from the public.
(Honda’s Takata problems continue with recall of 1.29 million vehicles. For more, Click Here.)
“Takata was supposed to be selling products that saved lives,” said Sandra Moser, principal deputy chief of the DOJ’s Fraud Section. Instead, for more than a decade … it put profits ahead of people’s safety.”