Takata could recall 35 mn more US cars: report

Takata is preparing to recall at least another 35 million airbags in the US to address a defect linked to 11 fatalities, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The additional recalls by the Japanese auto parts supplier could be announced as soon as this week, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people familiar with the situation. Some 50 million Takata airbags have been recalled globally, including roughly 28 million in the United States, to address a defect that can cause the airbag to explode, pummelling a driver or passenger with metal and plastic shrapnel. Contacted by AFP, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declined comment. The agency had said in February that tens of millions of additional cars in the United States could be recalled. In spite of numerous probes, US officials have been unable to settle on the exact cause of the problem. However, they believe the problem is more likely to surface in older cars and in climates where humidity is high. In November the NHTSA imposed a record $200 million civil fine on Takata for providing inadequate and inaccurate information about its dangerously explosive safety devices installed in millions of cars.