NHTSA, Takata recall 400,000 replacement airbags—again

Yup, you read that right: Takata, the embattled Japanese automotive airbag supplier at the centre of a massive safety recall, is re-recalling 400,000 cars to replace faulty airbags again.

And that 400,000 cars is just a start: according to a Reuters report, Takata, and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) knows of a half-million replacement parts that are good, but that leaves more than three million other new airbags, already installed in cars, that may also be suspect.

Faulty Takata airbags are linked to six deaths and hundreds of injuries; so far, more than 1.2 million vehicles have been recalled in Canada, along with more than 34 million in the United States.

While we’re on the topic, Transport Canada has announced the latest batch of Takata recalls, this time involving about 65,000 Mazda models. These include Mazda6 sedans, hatchbacks and wagons sold between 2003 and 2008, RX-8 sports cars from 2004 through 2008, and B-series pickups from model years 2004, 2005 and 2006.