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Washington — Japanese air bag manufacturer Takata Corp. is declaring 33.8 million vehicles defective, a move that likely will lead to the largest auto recall campaign in U.S. history.
Under heavy government pressure, the determination will force 11 major automakers to double the recall of vehicles with air bag inflators linked to deadly explosions, from the 17 million recalled to date. Government officials say the campaign could take years to complete and be the single largest U.S. recall of any consumer product, surpassing the callback of 31 million bottles of Tylenol in 1982 amid a poison scare.
The massive air bag recall covers more than 13 percent of all cars and trucks on the roads in the U.S. today. It would easily surpass the largest automotive recall — 23 million vehicles by Ford Motor Co. in 1980 for a transmission issue that only required the addition of a warning sticker.
"Today is a major step forward for public safety," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Tuesday. He called it "a monumental effort — there is no doubt about it."
It may be weeks or months before all additional owners know whether their vehicles are to be recalled by automakers. And it could be "some years" before there are enough replacement parts to fix every one, according to Mark Rosekind, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Read more here. (Detroit News)
Under heavy government pressure, the determination will force 11 major automakers to double the recall of vehicles with air bag inflators linked to deadly explosions, from the 17 million recalled to date. Government officials say the campaign could take years to complete and be the single largest U.S. recall of any consumer product, surpassing the callback of 31 million bottles of Tylenol in 1982 amid a poison scare.
The massive air bag recall covers more than 13 percent of all cars and trucks on the roads in the U.S. today. It would easily surpass the largest automotive recall — 23 million vehicles by Ford Motor Co. in 1980 for a transmission issue that only required the addition of a warning sticker.
"Today is a major step forward for public safety," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Tuesday. He called it "a monumental effort — there is no doubt about it."
It may be weeks or months before all additional owners know whether their vehicles are to be recalled by automakers. And it could be "some years" before there are enough replacement parts to fix every one, according to Mark Rosekind, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Read more here. (Detroit News)