Toyota, Nissan, Honda expand air bag recall by 11.5 million vehicles.

The MLive (5/15, Muller, 803K) report this week Toyota, Honda, and Nissan expanded the list of vehicles recalled due to potentially faulty Takata Corp. airbags by approximately 11.5 million cars and trucks to bring the global total of recalled cars to 35 million for faulty airbags. The airbags have been linked to six deaths and over 100 injuries. MLive says NHTSA has “leveled a $14,000-per-day fine since February against Takata, which insists it is cooperating with regulators.” The article says a consortium of 10 automakers, “all affected by the massive recall, also began their own investigation,” hiring an engineering firm to test the airbag inflators and naming former NHTSA Acting Administrator David Kelly as project manager.

        The Consumer Reports (5/15, Kennedy, 193K) reported according to a statement by Nissan and the NHTSA, the “Japanese automaker is recalling 326,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada” comprised of 250,967 2004-2006 Nissan Sentras and 12,725 2004 model year Nissan Pathfinders.