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AIR BAGS TROUBLES * USA: RECALLS EXPANDED to 34 Million Cars and Trucks in
* DC - Takata Air-Bag recalls, registered among the largest for a consumer product in U.S. history
(Video from YouTube, by bbc@abc news - May 19, 2015)
-- In the largest automotive recall in U.S. history, car makers will fix faulty air bags in nearly 34 million vehicles after Japanese parts supplier Takata Corp. bowed to pressure from regulators on Tuesday... The move doubles the number of vehicles already targeted by the recall, which is aimed at repairing malfunctioning air-bag inflaters that can explode and send shrapnel flying into cars. The recalls, expected to be conducted by up to 11 auto makers, would be one of the largest actions for any industry. Some 31 million bottles of Tylenol were recalled in the early 1980s... The suspect air bags are found in everything from sport-utility vehicles made by Honda Motor Co. to autos produced by Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Co. and Daimler AG trucks. Vehicles equipped with the faulty Takata air bags represent almost 14% of the roughly 250 million vehicles on U.S. roads... On Tuesday, auto-safety regulators said Takata admitted for the first time there are defects in the company’s air-bag inflaters. Takata filed four reports with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, saying that inflater propellants can alter over time and lead to “over-aggressive combustion” ... The upshot is that air bags can explode with too much force... Six deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the problem...
Washington, DC, USA The WSJ, by MIKE SPECTOR and GAUTHAM NAGESH - May 19, 2015
* DC - Takata criminal probe shifted to Detroit prosecutors
-- Federal prosecutors in Detroit are taking the lead in the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into air bag defects linked to six deaths and more than 100 injuries as major automakers continue to race to identify the millions of additional vehicles must be fixed in the largest recall in U.S. history... The intense public interest in the issue led record traffic and sporadic outages at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s: safercar.gov website, as more than 50 times the normal number of owners sought to check to see if their vehicles have been recalled... Experts say automakers will face difficulty to convince nearly 34 million owners to take vehicles in for repairs. Auto website Autotrader says most owners don’t take recalls very seriously... Autotrader research shows that if owners are aware of a recall on their vehicle, only 56 percent take it in for repairs every time... Only 61 percent of owners work to stay informed about recalls on vehicles they own, and only 35 percent research recalls when shopping for a vehicle to purchase...
Washington, DC, USA - The Detroit News, by David Shepardson and Melissa Burden - May 20, 2015
* DC - NHTSA moves to speed 34M Takata recall repairs
-- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will take the unprecedented step of launching an effort to assert broad oversight over 11 major automakers to speed the massive recall of 33.8 million vehicles equipped with defective, possibly deadly, Takata air bags... NHTSA said Thursday it intends to use its authority under a 2000 federal law called the TREAD Act for the first time to oversee what will be the largest auto recall in U.S. history. The federal agency could order additional production of replacement parts by other suppliers, decide how the parts are used and where, and exercise broad authority over the callback... It will use this pathway in part because the 11 automakers whose cars have the affected Takata air bags have separate recall programs that create what NHTSA calls “a patchwork solution.” The agency believes separate recalls may not adequately address the safety risks of the exploding air bags within a reasonable time...
Washington, DC, USA - Detroit News Washington Bureau, by David Shepardson - May 21, 2015
* DC - GM 'learned a hard lesson' after ignition switch recall
-- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will extend a consent order requiring General Motors Co. to disclose detailed safety issues and meet with government officials monthly for at least another year... Last year, GM agreed to the sweeping decree and paid a record-setting $35 million civil penalty for delaying a recall of 2.6 million older cars for ignition switch defects that are now linked to 104 deaths and nearly 200 injuries... In the aftermath of the recall crisis and congressional hearings, GM hired dozens of new safety engineers, as Barra (GM's CEO), reorganized GM's safety organization. After a scathing internal report, Barra fired 15 and disciplined five employees... Last year, GM recalled a record-setting 30 million vehicles worldwide in 84 recall campaigns. The number of vehicles called back this year by GM has fallen sharply as the automaker has worked to identify problems earlier... NHTSA praised GM's actions. "Automakers can learn an important lesson from GM," said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. "Follow the rules, be accountable for your products, take good care of your customers and always make safety the priority" ...
Washington, DC, USA - The Detroit News, by David Shepardson - May 21, 2015
Labels: autos recalls, dangerous trucks, trucks recalls
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