Japanese auto parts giant may recall millions of airbags

Japanese auto parts maker is to recall millions of faulty airbags. (file photo)

Japanese auto parts supplier Takata Corporation is said to be gearing up to recall at least another 35 million airbags in the US over deadly defects.

The additional recalls may be announced as soon as this week, according to The Wall Street Journal.

More than a dozen automakers are currently recalling vehicles equipped with Takata airbags in one of the largest such actions in US history.

Some 50 million Takata airbags have already been recalled globally, including roughly 28 million in the United States, to address a defect that can cause the airbag to explode.

US officials have been unable to settle on the exact cause of the problem.

The airbags can rupture and spray shrapnel, a safety defect linked to 11 deaths globally and dozens of injuries, the paper wrote.

Last November, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) imposed a record $200 million civil fine on Takata for providing ‘inadequate and inaccurate’ information about its dangerously explosive safety devices installed in millions of cars

Experts believe the problem is more likely to surface in older cars and in climates where humidity is high