The Mazda B-Series is one of nearly 89,000 vehicles the automaker is recalling due to Takata airbags.
In the 24 hours after Takata officials stood resolute in their belief that a nationwide recall of their faulty airbags is unnecessary, their customers are making sure they stand alone. Mazda joined three other automakers today in expanding their recall of vehicles equipped with the potentially dangerous devices.
The Japanese maker recalled another 40,000 vehicles in include Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Texas and Alabama. The original action was just for Florida and Hawaii. The recall came a day after Honda, Chrysler Group and Ford announced expanded recall actions.
The vehicles in Mazda’s action include the 2003-2007 Mazda6, 2004-2008 RX-8, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6, 2004-2005 MPV, and 2004 B-Series Trucks.
Mazda already recalled about 44,000 vehicles in the United States and 2,600 in Puerto Rico. The expanded effort brings the total to more than 86,750 vehicles. In addition, Mazda agreed to join the independent, industry-wide joint testing initiative marshaled by Toyota.
Honda announced during testimony before a Congressional subcommittee on Wednesday, it would comply with a request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to move the initial regional recall to a national one. The agency also asked Ford, Chrysler, BMW and Mazda to do the same. Only BMW has yet to make some change in the scope of its initial recall.
(Honda expands recall even as Takata deems move unnecessary. For more, Click Here.)
By the end of the hearings on Wednesday, Chrysler said it would recall an additional 149,150 pickups, but did not take the action national. Chrysler’s expanded recall announced Wednesday only covers the 2003 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups sold or registered in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan and the Virgin Islands.
(Click Here for details about NHTSA nominee’s plans to speed up recalls.)
Ford followed a similar pattern, expanding its regional passenger airbag recall by 13,000 vehicles, bringing the total to 98,000 vehicles. The expanded recall includes certain 2004-05 Ford Ranger and 2005-06 Ford GTs originally sold or registered in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also added certain parts of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa.
(To see why the average mileage rating of new cars is stagnating, Click Here.)
Inflators in the Takata airbags may explode, spewing metal and plastic shrapnel passengers in the cabin of the vehicle. The problem has been tied to five deaths and dozens of injuries in the U.S. and affects at least 7.8 million vehicles.
None of the auto makers are going to open themselves up to more lawsuits than will normally occur with the siren chasers when these types of defects are discovered. Takata knows this is likely the end of the road for their operation no matter what they do. Even if they could financially survive the recall, the damage to their rep is so great that they are already losing major clients so it’s all downhill from here and the train could come off the tracks at any time, IMO.
Add the price-rigging scandal, Jorge, and I think Takata is in a real bind. That said, the keiretsu system tends to take care of its own. They are lucky that their name is not visible on the cars they supply airbags for.
Paul E.