Japanese, Other Automakers Hit With Air Bag Recall
By YURI KAGEYAMA and TOM KRISHER, AP Business Writers
DETROIT (AP) - Six automakers including Toyota, Honda and Nissan, are recalling nearly 3.4 million older-model vehicles worldwide in a massive effort to fix defective air bags made by the same parts company.
The recall mainly affects cars sold by Japanese automakers in North America, Europe and Japan. A small number of cars made by Germany's BMW AG and General Motors Co. and also involved.
The passenger air bags made by Japan's Takata Corp. have faulty inflators that don't route gas into the air bags. Instead, the high-pressure gas can send plastic parts from the inflators flying into passenger compartments. Takata says no one has been hurt, but there have been six incidents of the air bags deploying improperly.
The recall, announced Thursday in Japan, is so large because many automakers use common parts on multiple models to cut costs and simplify manufacturing. This approach was pioneered by Japanese automakers.
Hardest hit is Toyota Motor Corp., which will have to inspect or fix 1.7 million vehicles worldwide, including about 580,000 in North America. Another 490,000 vehicle in Europe and 320,000 in Japan are affected. The models include the Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, and Tundra, and the Lexus SC 430, manufactured from 2001 to 2003.
A series of recalls has tarnished Toyota's reputation for sterling quality and reliability. The company endured a series of huge recalls in 2009 and 2010 for faulty braking, sticky gas pedals and defective floor mats.
But the latest recall affects other major automakers, including Toyota's chief Japanese competitor. Honda Motor Co. is recalling 1.1 million vehicles worldwide, including about 680,000 in North America, 270,000 in Japan and 64,000 in Europe. Models include the Civic, CR-V and Odyssey from the 2001 to 2003 model years.
Also, Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 480,000 vehicles worldwide, including about 265,000 in the U.S. Models include the Nissan Maxima, Pathfinder and Sentra as well as the Infiniti FX and QX4, all from the 2001-2003 model years. Recalled models in Japan include the Cube, X-Trail, Maxima and Teana.
Mazda Motor Co. is also part of the recall. About 45,000 Mazda RX-8 and Mazda 6 cars are affected, including 4,000 in Japan. The company said recalls will be announced in North America, Europe, China and elsewhere.
At GM, only 55,000 Pontiac Vibe hatchbacks sold in the U.S. and Canada are being recalled. The 2003 models are nearly identical to the Toyota Matrix and were made at a California plant that was jointly run with Toyota.
BMW says it's researching the problem but no numbers or models are available.
The problem happened because of two human errors during production. A worker forgot to turn on the switch for a system weeding out defective products, and parts were improperly stored, which exposed them to humidity, according to Honda spokeswoman Akemi Ando.
The recall is Takata's largest since 1995, when nine automakers had to repair faulty front seat belts in 9 million cars sold from 1986 through 1991.
Alby Berman, spokesman for Takata in North America, acknowledged that the company's image may be hurt. But he said Takata has produced millions of reliable air bags and should have enough capital with manufacturers to withstand the publicity.
"Our real motivation today is to really continue to support our customers in every way possible in moving through the process," he said. "The joint objective is always to make sure the passengers, our customers' customers, are safe."
Takata stock plunged as much as 15 percent before closing down 9 percent in Tokyo. Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda shares rallied in Tokyo, shrugging off the recall.
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