Paul a. Eisenstein/NBC News
The largest safety recall in automotive history is about to get even bigger, with federal regulators ordering embattled Japanese supplier Takata to recall as many as 40 million additional airbags linked to a defect already blamed for at least 11 deaths.
Visitors walk by a Takata Corp. desk at an automaker’s showroom in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. U.S. auto safety regulators are in talks with Takata Corp. to add tens of millions of air bag inflators to what already is the biggest auto recall in American history, three people briefed on the matter said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
The previous recall involved about 24 million vehicles sold in the U.S. over roughly the last decade, with 14 manufacturers impacted. Virtually every other major carmaker will now be pulled into the latest recall.
Do you think your car might have Takata airbags? To find out, go to safercar.gov and enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
But the precise number of vehicles that will be affected by the new recall order isn’t certain. For one thing, NHTSA has initially offered only a broad range, saying somewhere between 35 million to 40 million airbags are being targeted. And because some vehicles use more than one of the Takata devices, the total number of vehicles will likely be somewhat smaller.
Nonetheless, it is considered highly likely that the total number of cars, trucks and crossovers will now top the 50 million mark. And some observers estimate that up to a quarter of all the vehicles now on U.S. roads will ultimately be covered.
As of April 22, NHTSA reported just over 8 million vehicles had been fixed, or less than a third of those targeted by the first big recall ordered by the agency.
Takata officials came under withering fire during Congressional hearings last year, and the company was also ordered to pay a $70 million fine — which could grow to $200 million if it misses targets laid out by NHTSA to improve its safety performance.
To read more, click here: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/takata-airbag-recall-largest-u-s-history-just-got-even-n568106?cid=sm_fb
