Toyota Motor Corp. reissued a recall for 1.6 million cars in Japan over Takata Corp. air bags, after a component that was deemed to be safe in a Nissan Motor Co. vehicle ended up injuring a passenger last month.
The Vitz compact car and 21 other models will be called back again after a previous recall prioritized the replacement of Takata air bag inflators based on whether dealers found air leaks, according to Masato Sahashi, a Japan transport ministry official. Toyota is re-doing the recall after an inflator ruptured and injured a passenger in a Nissan X-Trail SUV last month in Japan even after an inspection found no air leak.
The Nissan incident and recall do-overs by Japan’s two biggest carmakers deepen a crisis for Takata that already involves almost 100 injuries and 19 million vehicles recalled in the U.S. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this month ordered Takata to phase out a propellant used to inflate its air bags, citing a lack of confidence in its safety. Rupturing Takata air bag inflators have killed eight motorists in Honda Motor Co. cars.
NHTSA’s order prompted customers Ford Motor Co., Mazda Motor Corp., Honda, Toyota and Nissan to announce they won’t use Takata air bag inflators with ammonium nitrate propellant in cars under development. After NHTSA’s announcement on Nov. 3, Takata shares fell 39 percent during a record three-day plunge.
Takata posted an 8.66 billion yen ($70 million) loss in the second quarter and cut its full-year net income forecast to 5 billion yen, a quarter of its earlier projection, after incurring losses related to recalls. President Shigehisa Takada acknowledged risk to the company’s survival during a press conference on Nov. 4.
Toyota is recalling about 12 million vehicles worldwide due to Takata air bags, the carmaker told NHTSA in July. Of the 98 injuries involving Takata air bag inflator ruptures in the U.S. through late last month, five were in Toyota vehicles, according to the agency.
