June 24, 2014—Seven more automakers announced Monday they would recall nearly 3 million cars that have potentially explosive air bags, according to Reuters.
Takata Corp., a Japanese auto parts manufacturer that specializes in vehicle safety devices, produced the airbag inflators made between 2000–2007 to multiple car makers, including Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Ford, Chrysler and BMW.
Currently, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into the faulty airbags is underway.
The newest recall adds to an ongoing list from automakers since the issue was first discovered in 2007 and linked to six incidents and two deaths, according to Reuters. The total number of recalled vehicles in relation to the airbags so far is 10 million in the past five years, USA Today reported.
That tally is set to grow even more, Reuters said, as some car makers announced plans to recall a larger number of cars in the future. Recalls are expected to grow after Takata’s CEO Shigehisa Takada announced Friday in a public statement that humidity may be a factor in past malfunctions.
“Each of the six incidents that prompted the NHTSA investigation occurred in Puerto Rico or Florida,” the statement said. “We currently believe the high levels of absolute humidity in those states are important factors, and as a result our engineers are analyzing the impact that humidity may have on the potential for an inflator malfunction, as well as other possible contributing factors.”
The NHTSA also released a statement supporting the automaker recall efforts in hot and humid areas, according to Reuters.
"Based on the limited data available at this time, NHTSA supports efforts by automakers to address the immediate risk in areas that have consistently hot, humid conditions over extended periods of time," NHTSA said in the statement.
So far, Takata has spent $300 million on the recalls, but said in an earlier statement to Reuters that it will support car makers.