. . World News – CA – U. . S.. . calls on GM to recall nearly 6 million trucks with Takata inflators

The Associated Press
Employee

The logo for General Motors adorns the entrance of a GM information technology center in Roswell, Ga. , Thursday, Jan. . 10, 2013. (AP / David Goldman)

DETROIT –
The U. S.. . has General Motors recall and repair nearly 6 million large pickup trucks and SUVs fitted with potentially dangerous Takata airbag inflators.

The decision, announced Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is estimated to cost the automaker $ 1. 2 billion, around a third of the net income.

GM had petitioned the agency four times as of 2016 to avoid a recall, claiming the airbag inflator canisters were safe on the road and in tests. However, the owners responded by accusing the company of putting profits above safety.

Takata used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags in a crash. However, the chemical can deteriorate if exposed to heat and moisture and explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and spitting out splinters.

It took the agency more than four years to reach its decision, which comes towards the end of President Donald Trump’s four-year term.

27 people, 18 of them in the U. . S.. . have been killed and hundreds injured by Takata inflators worldwide.

NHTSA announced in a prepared statement that all available data on the airbags had been analyzed, including technical and statistical analyzes, aging tests and field data.

« Based on this information and information made available to the public file of the petition, the NHTSA concluded that the genetically modified inflators in question are subject to the same type of explosion as other recalled Takata- after prolonged exposure to high heat and humidity. Inflators, « the agency said.

The company has 30 days to provide NHTSA with a proposed schedule for notifying vehicle owners and initiating the recall.

GM said that while it believes the recall is not warranted based on actual and scientific records, it will abide by NHTSA’s decision.

The safety and trust of those who drive our vehicles are paramount in everything we do at General Motors, « the company said in a prepared statement.

The decision means that all Takata ammonium nitrate inflators in the U. . S.. . is being recalled, said NHTSA. Earlier this year, the agency decided not to request recalls for inflators containing a moisture-absorbing chemical called a desiccant. But NHTSA said it would monitor these inflators and take action if a problem arises.

The problem caused the largest series of automatic recalls in U. . S.. . History, with at least 63 million inflators recalled. The U. S.. . Government Says More Than Sept.. 1 million hadn’t been repaired. Around 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide.

Most of the deaths were in the U. . S.. . , but they have also performed in Australia and Malaysia.

Drivers can check whether their vehicles have been recalled at https: // www. nhtsa. Government / Recalls and entering their 17-digit vehicle identification number.

The recalls bankrupted Japan’s Takata and brought criminal charges against the company. Eventually it was bought from a Chinese auto parts supplier.

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Takata Corporation, General Motors, Airbag, Product Recall, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration