Takata expands recall in US.

Reuters (1/26, Shepardson, Woodall) reports the NHTSA on Tuesday announced that Takata Corp is recalling 5.1 million US vehicles deemed defective, after the company identified an 11th death that may be linked to a faulty airbag. For the first time, the new recall also includes some 2014 models and newer vehicles are under “investigation and could be subject to recall at a later date,” Takata said. So far, some 24 million vehicles have been recalled in the US, but the numbers could increase again. Ford on Tuesday was the first automaker to announce a recall.

        Bloomberg News (1/26, Ma, Horie, 3.4M) reports the Takata inflators’s scandal “has spread to India after a first reported death involving the components.” Honda Motor Co. “said that a 2007 Honda Civic was traveling at a high speed in India last April when it rolled over and crashed, resulting in the driver’s death,” the article reports. Honda found out about the accident “three months later and investigations showed the air bag made by Takata had deployed and ruptured, though the cause of death hasn’t been determined, according to Honda spokesman Ben Nakamura.” 

Ford recalling nearly 400,000 trucks due to air bag defect.

ABC World News (1/26, story 12, 0:20, Muir, 5.84M) reported that Ford is “recalling nearly 400,000 Ranger pickups because of driver side air bags made by Takata that can explode and cause serious injury, even death.” ABC says the recall comes after the death of a man in South Carolina was linked to those Takata air bags, the 10th death linked to the air bags.

        The AP (1/26) reports that the recall covers 2004 through 2006 model years manufactured in the US and Canada. Meanwhile, NHTSA “says automakers will recall another 5 million vehicles equipped with faulty inflators made by Takata.” The AP says “some of the recalls are because of the crash that killed Knight, with the rest due to air bags failing in lab tests.” The AP goes on to state that the recall now covers 14 automakers and 24 million vehicles, with NHTSA saying recall numbers are likely to expand. The AP points out that the Rangers were recalled last year due to problems with the passenger air bag inflators.

        USA Today (1/26, Bomey, 5.56M) reports that “NHTSA spokesman Gordon Trowbridge told reporters that before the deadly accident, testing of 1,900 inflators in the Ranger had uncovered no problems.” He also “said Friday that the number of recalled inflators could expand by ‘tens of millions’ if Takata can’t prove that the ammonium-nitrate propellant in the inflators is not responsible for the defect.” USA Today points out that “recalls of Takata vehicles have proceeded slowly, in part because replacement inflators haven’t been readily available” and because “many vehicle owners have ignored recall notices.” 

Britax recalling more than 71,000 car seats.

The AP (1/21) reports Britax Child Safety “is recalling more than 71,000 infant car seats because the carrying handles can break.” The seats’ handles can reportedly crack and break, according to the NHTSA. “The recall covers the B-Safe 35, the B-Safe 35 Elite and the B-Safe 35 Travel System made from Oct. 1, 2014 to July 1, 2015,” the article reports. Britax reportedly received some complaints, including one that resulted in an infant getting a bruise and bumping its head after the carrying handle broke and the car seat fell.

        The New York Times (1/21, Jensen, Subscription Publication, 11.64M) reports Britax told the NHTSA its first complaint was received last May. The company on June changed the design of the handle. 

Ford Focus doors under probe over potential defect.

The AP (1/20, Krisher) reports the NHTSA is investigating “complaints that doors won’t latch properly on about 400,000 Ford Focus compact cars, including some reports that the doors have opened while the cars are moving.” Covered in the probe are Focus models from the 2012 and 2013 model years. A similar investigation resulted in “a recall last year of more than 456,000 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion and Fiesta models,” the AP reports. 

Fiat Chrysler recalls SUVs after first recall did not fix wiring issue.

The AP (1/18) reports that Fiat Chrysler is “recalling nearly 389,000 Jeep and Dodge SUVs in the U.S. for a second time because an electrical short in the sun visors can cause fires.” The article adds that in documents posted by the NHTSA, Fiat Chrysler said that adjustments made in its first recall did not fix the issue.

        The New York Daily News (1/18, Powers, 3.59M) also reported. 

Additional problems reported with vehicles involved in GM recall.

NBC Nightly News (1/17, story 5, 4:35, Snow, 7.86M) reported that, according to an NBC investigation, there are more complaints about stalling in GM vehicles that were already repaired as part of a massive recall to fix a problem with ignition switches. NBC says the vehicles involved were some of the 2.6 million that were recalled earlier this year after GM received reports of 124 deaths potentially related to the ignition switch defect. Meanwhile, GM has acknowledged some reports of stalling problems after recalled cars have been repaired but said that its engineers have found no connection between the ignition switch repairs and the stalling incidents. NBC points out that “both GM and NHTSA told NBC news they found no pattern.”