Takata has been in the news for its faulty airbag inflators, which prompted one of the biggest global recalls in the auto industry.

Skoda has announced a global recall to replace defective airbags supplied by the infamous Takata Corporation.

The Takata airbag recall includes cars manufactured from 2012 onwards, including those sold in India. To check if you have a defective airbag in your Skoda, head over to the brand’s official website and enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

According to Skoda, a faulty airbag could pose a serious safety risk. Customers have been advised to contact their local Skoda authorized service centre to arrange an appointment if their vehicle is among those affected by the recall.

Takata Corporation has been in the news for its faulty airbag inflators, which resulted in one of the biggest global recalls in the auto industry. The faulty inflators were said to have been linked to numerous injuries and deaths, especially in the USA.

Takata is said to have falsified its seatbelt test data at two of its former plants, as per the latest investigation results by JSS.

Joyston Safety System's (JSS) Japanese division has revealed that they have found 1000 cases of data falsification in seatbelt tests at two plants, acquired from the Takata Corp.

According to a media report, the investigation which first began in October 2020 has shown that the test data on belt webbing used for seatbelt and child safety seats, had been falsified at two plants. These included the Hikone plant in Japan and the Philippines. The test results were said to be doctored in order to meet the legal and client standards. The investigation also revealed that the test data at the Hikone plant had been falsified over the past two decades, right until Jan 2020.

The report states that JSS has introduced an electronic system in March, which will prevent the data from being falsified. The company is also said to expand its human resources for quality management.

The results of the investigation are said to have been handed over to the Japanese transport ministry. The company is not planning to announce any recall since a re-examination showed no safety issues. The report also suggests that the 12 carmakers to which the company supplies have decided not to implement any inspections.

Takata Corp was also in the news for its faulty airbag inflators, which resulted in one of the biggest global recalls in the auto industry. The faulty inflators were said to have been linked to numerous injuries and deaths, especially in the USA. The company applied for bankruptcy in 2017 and was later bought over by JSS, formerly known as Key Safety Systems (KSS).

Source: Reuters

The total cost of the recall is estimated to be US$ 610 million.

Ford has announced that it will recall 30 lakh vehicles over faulty airbag inflators that could rupture.

It is said that the airbag inflators could rupture and send metal fragments flying which could cause injury and could be potentially deadly as well.

This recall includes 27 lakh vehicles sold in the US alone. The models that are affected by this recall include Ranger, Fusion, Edge, Lincoln Zephyr / MKZ, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKX manufactured between 2006 and 2012.

Earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rejected the carmaker's 2017 petition to avoid recalling vehicles with Takata airbags. The total cost of the recall is estimated to be US$ 610 million.

Source: ET Auto

Honda has recalled the Jazz, City, Civic, CR-V and Accord to replace faulty Takata front airbag inflators. A total of 5,088 cars have been affected by this issue.

According to Honda, the affected cars include 10 units of the Jazz built between 2009-2012, 2,099 units of the City manufactured between 2007-2013, 52 units of the Civic built from 2006-2008, 2,577 units of the CR-V built between 2003-2008 and those manufactured in 2011 as well as 350 Accords built in 2003.

The replacement of the driver and passenger front airbag inflators will be carried out free of cost at Honda dealerships across India from July 29, 2019. 

Owners can check if their cars are affected by this recall by entering the 17 character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on this website.

Honda has recalled the Accord to replace faulty Takata driver side front airbag inflators. A total of 3,669 cars built between 2003 and 2006 have been affected by this recall.

According to Honda, the Takata front airbag inflators may deploy with excessive internal pressure when activated. The airbag inflator might rupture and may result in an injury and is therefore seen as a safety risk to the occupants.

The replacement will be carried out free of cost at all Honda dealerships across India from April 18, 2019. Honda will be notifying the customers directly to get the replacement done as soon as possible. Customers can also check if their cars are covered under this recall campaign by submitting the 17 character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on this website.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Toyota have issued yet another recall for vehicles fitted with the malfunctioning Takata airbags. The defective airbags issue came to light in 2013 and manufacturers collaborated in 2014 to investigate the same. Takata has since declared bankruptcy.

FCA has issued a recall for 1.4 million vehicles for replacement of passenger side airbag inflators. Affected vehicles include 2010 Ram 3500 pickup and 4500/5500 chassis cabs, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2010-2015 Chrysler 300 sedan, 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler and 2011-2015 Dodge Charger. The same type of vehicles in Canada (88,830), Mexico (12,821) and markets outside North America (118,084) will also be recalled.

Toyota has issued a recall for around 1.3 million cars in the USA. These include the 2010-2016 4Runner, 2010-2012 Lexus ES 350, 2010-2013 Corolla, Matrix and Lexus IS 250, 2010-2014 Lexus IS-F, 2010-2015 Scion XB, Lexus IS 250C, IS 350C, 2010-2017 Lexus GX 460 and 2011-2014 Sienna. The owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted and the local dealer will fix either the inflator for the front passenger airbag or replace the whole airbag assembly free of cost.

Owners can visit the respective company websites or the NHTSA website for more details and check if their vehicle is affected.

As part of a precautionary global recall campaign, Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) has announced a voluntary recall to replace Takata passenger front airbag inflators. According to Honda, the defective airbag inflators may deploy with excessive internal pressure, which may cause the airbag inflator casing to rupture.

The recall affects 22,834 Jazz, City and Accord models manufactured in the year 2013. This includes 240 units of the Jazz, 22,084 units of the City and 510 Accord sedans.

The replacement of airbag inflators will be carried out free of cost at Honda dealerships across India. It will be done in a phased manger starting from January 19, 2018. Customers can check if their cars are affected by the recall by submitting their vehicle identification number (VIN) on Honda's website.

This is not the first Takata airbag related recall issued by Honda in India. In July 2016, Honda had recalled 1,90,578 vehicles. In February 2017, another recall was announced. This time, 41,580 cars including the Jazz, City, Civic and Accord were affected.

Ford has asked owners of 2,900 Ranger pickup trucks to stop using them after confirming that a death in an accident in July 2017 involving a 2006 Ranger pickup truck was caused due to a defective airbag inflator made by Takata. Of these, 2,700 vehicles are in US while the remaining 200 are in Canada. Ford has stated that owners should drive their vehicles only after the airbag inflators are replaced.

This is the second death caused by the defective inflators that can rupture and send metal fragments into the driver’s body. The first death occurred in South Carolina in December 2015. Ford has revealed that both the vehicles had inflators built on the same day. The affected 2,900 vehicles were also part of a recall issued in 2016 to over 3,91,000 2004-2006 Ranger trucks.

Ford has stated that the company will bear the costs of towing the affected vehicles to its service centres or dispatch mobile repair teams to the homes of the vehicles' owners. It will also provide loaner vehicles free of cost if required.

Mazda has said that the company will also be issuing a similar stop drive warning to some models of the 2006 Mazda B-Series trucks, which were made at the same plant as the affected Ford Ranger pickup trucks. The Mazda trucks were rebadged versions of the Ranger series of trucks.

There have been over 21 deaths and more than 200 cases of injures related to the inflator issue. Takata had said that it expected to recall 125 million vehicles worldwide to replace the inflators. The Japanese company filed for bankruptcy in June 2017.

In India, manufacturers like Mitsubishi, Honda and Toyota have issued recalls over the same problem.

Source - Reuters

Volkswagen Group China, Volkswagen (China) Import Co. Ltd. (VGIC), FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Co. Ltd. (FAW-VW) and SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co. Ltd. (SAIC VW) have jointly issued a recall for more than 4.86 million vehicles manufactured from 2006 or later due to a faulty airbag inflator made by Takata.

After discussions with the Chinese authorities, it was found that when a driver or front passenger airbag is deployed, the rupture of the inflators may occur and create a safety risk for the occupants. The recall is scheduled over one year from April 2018 till March 2019.

While there have been no recalls in India by the Volkswagen Group regarding this issue, globally, some Volkswagen models produced between 2004 and 2017 have been recalled.

India has seen many recalls being issued over faulty Takata airbags. In January 2016, Mitsubishi had recalled approximately 2,400 Cedia sedans in India. Toyota recalled 23,157 Corolla Altis cars over the faulty inflators in April 2017. In February 2017, Honda issued a recall for 41,580 vehicles. It had issued any more recalls for the same issue earlier as well.

In June 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy.

Picture used for representational purposes only.

Japan-based airbag manufacturer Takata has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Japan. This is being seen as a consequence of the company's accumulating losses as it faces billions of dollars in costs and liabilities due to its defective airbags. Takata has officially revealed that it will be sold to US-based Key Safety Systems, in a deal worth US$ 1.6 billion.

The company's US-based arm, TK Holdings had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware, while the Japanese parent company has also filed for similar protection with the Tokyo District Court. It is being speculated that the company will in total have a liability estimate of around US$ 15 billion. However, the final figure will be available only when various carmakers, who used Takata airbags, have a discussion and reach a liability figure with the airbag supplier. Currently, these carmakers have borne the major brunt of the recall and replacement costs.

Key Safety Systems will buy all Takata assets, apart from those that are related to airbags. The US-based firm believes that Takata's other products, like steering wheels and seat belts, still have satisfactory brand image and market demand. The company has claimed that it is likely to keep "substantially all" Takata employees, which amount to a 60,000 workforce that is spread over 23 countries.

Takata has been at the centre of the biggest automotive recall ever seen, after its airbags were found to have a potential defect that makes them volatile with age and prolonged exposure to heat. This can result in sudden explosion of the airbag inflator with higher force, which could cause metal shards to be thrown around the cabin, leading to the risk of an injury to the driver and occupants. The said issue has been linked to at least 17 deaths across the globe.

Source: Reuters