WASHINGTON — Takata will recall another 35 million to 40 million air bag inflators, an increase that will more than double what already is the largest automotive recall in American history, the federal government said Wednesday.
The recall expansion would bring to as many as 69 million the total number of inflators to be replaced, a gargantuan task that the government predicts will take until the end of 2019 to complete.
The car and truck models included in the expanded recall and the total number of vehicles were not immediately released but will be posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website in the coming weeks. Most of the expansion is for front passenger air bags that were not part of previous recalls, said Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Twelve vehicle manufacturers were already involved in the recall, plus two more added in January, Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz. The expansion includes three additional manufacturers, Tesla, Jaguar-Land Rover and Fisker.
Takata air bag inflators can explode with too much force and injure people. So far, at least 11 deaths and more than 100 injuries have been reported worldwide.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.