The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced that they will be expanding and accelerating the recall of Takata air bag inflators. The decision comes after the NHTSA and an independent expert reviewed the findings of three independent investigations into the ruptures and concluded that a combination of time, environmental moisture and fluctuating high temperatures contributed to the degradation of the ammonium nitrate propellant in the inflators. The degradation caused the propellant to burn too quickly, rupturing the inflator module and sending shrapnel through the air bag and into the vehicle occupants.

Takata will be required to support vehicle manufacturer recall campaigns of an additional 35-40 million inflators, adding to the 28.8 million previously recalled. The expansion will require that all Takata ammonium nitrate-based propellant driver and passenger frontal air bag inflators without a chemical drying agent will be recalled. The repair schedule will be based on prioritization of risk, determined by the age of the inflators, exposure to high humidity and fluctuating high temperatures that accelerate the degradation of the chemical propellant.

According to NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind, “The recall is already a year ahead of where it would have been, thanks to the NHTSA’s aggressive actions in 2015. As a result, the most dangerous inflators responsible for the deaths and injuries are already under recall.”

This is the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history. Under the Coordinated Remedy Program, NHTSA and manufacturers have committed to seek a 100 percent recall completion rate.

Click Here to find out if you vehicle is included in the recall.

View the complete announcement from NHTSA’s SaferCarTV