Car giants Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan on Wednesday announced they are recalling some 6.5 million vehicles globally to replace potentially faulty Takata air-bag inflators.
Toyota said it is recalling five million vehicles in the wake of multiple reports about faulty components from Takata. The recall will include models such as the Corolla, Yaris, Avensis, Avensis Verso, Picnic, RAV4 and Hilux built between 2003 and 2007.
“We have been conducting various ongoing investigations regarding Takata-produced airbag inflators,” Toyota said in the e-mail.
“Among the parts collected from the Japanese market, certain types of airbag inflators were found to have a potential for moisture intrusion over time. As a result, they could be susceptible to abnormal deployment in a crash. The relationship of moisture intrusion, if any, to the risk of inflator rupture is not known.”
Nissan said it will recall about 1.56 million cars globally. The recall affects a range of models produced between 2004 and 2008.
Both automakers said they were recalling the cars as a precaution and no accidents or injuries had been reported.
In total around 25 million cars have been recalled worldwide since 2008 over Takata air bag inflators that have erupted with too much force, spraying shrapnel inside the car. Takata airbags are linked to six deaths in Honda vehicles, five in the US and one in Malaysia.
Honda Motor also said on Wednesday that it was preparing to file additional recalls related to Takata air bags. However, it did not give any further details.
When asked about the recall, a Takata spokeswoman said a probe into the causes for the air bag defects was ongoing and that the company continued to fully cooperate with the automakers.
Japan-based Takata faces multiple class action lawsuits in the United States and Canada as well as a US criminal investigation and a regulatory probe.
