Toyota Motor Co. is looking to other suppliers besides Takata Corp. for replacement airbag inflators to keep up with the pace of recalls. In June, the Japanese automaker expanded its Takata airbag-related recall to nearly 3 million vehicles in China, Japan and Europe.
Toyota is considering using airbag inflators manufactured by companies such as Japan-based Daicel Corp., Swedish-American automotive safety tech company Autoliv and Japanese chemical maker Nippon Kayaku Co. Ltd., according to a report by Law360.
In recent months, several automakers, including Honda, Chrysler and BMW have expanded their recalls of millions of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, causing some automakers to question how they would keep up with the demand for replacement parts.
Concerns also have been raised about the safety of replacement airbag inflators manufactured by Takata, since neither Takata nor federal safety regulators have determined the root cause of the defect.
Takata airbags can explode with excessive force when deployed and shoot shrapnel into the vehicle’s passenger compartment.
More than 34 million vehicles equipped with potentially defective Takata airbags have been recalled, making it the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.
At least eight deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the faulty airbags.
Contact Langdon & Emison
Langdon & Emison represents clients nationwide who have been injured by faulty Takata airbags. To contact our firm, call 866-931-2115 or click here.