Japan to recall 7 million more vehicles with Takata-made air bags

Japan's transport ministry said Friday that 7 million more vehicles with Takata-made air bags will be recalled within Japan, bringing the total number of vehicles called back as a result of the Takata air bag defect in Japan to 19.6 million.

The decision came after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered earlier this month that airbag inflators using ammonium nitrate as propellant without desiccant shall also be recalled.

With recall expanded in the United States, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has required automakers to recall vehicles equipped with airbags with the same problems also in Japan.

The total number of Takata-made air bags to be called back is expected to top 100 million globally, costing over 1 trillion yen (9.12 billion U.S. dollars) to Takata Corp. and automakers, though how much each will shoulder is not decided yet.

The cost is expected to be a huge burden for the Tokyo-based company, which recorded a net loss of 13.08 billion yen in fiscal 2015, its second straight year of red ink, amid impact of the global recall of its air bag inflators.

The Takata-made air bag inflators, which could explode with too much force, spraying metal fragments at passengers, have been reportedly linked to at least 10 deaths worldwide. Endit