Takata continues to make the news as Japans three biggest automobile manufacturers, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, announce that they are expanding the recall for faulty airbags. Over 30 million vehicles world wide have been recalled over the defect and it has been linked to six deaths and over 100 injuries. Although it is not known for sure why Takata airbags are prone to exploding some suspect the ammonium nitrate used to inflate them can overheat, especially in high humidity, and shower passengers and drivers with shrapnel from the canisters holding them.
Automakers are getting the replacement parts as fast as they can, but vehicle owners are finding it may take weeks or even months before parts will become available. Takata’s assembly lines are at maximum capacity, but according to a recent Automotive News report, even with the higher production rate, it could still take as long as two years to build replacement air bags for the recalled vehicles.