Six Companies Recall Cars for Airbag Defect
Six companies, including Toyota, Nissan, Honda, BMW AG and General Motors Co., recalled the cars because the bags didn't always inflate properly and high-pressure gas could send pieces of plastic flying into the passenger compartments. All used airbags from Japan's Takata Corp.
The air bags have not caused any injuries but six have failed to deploy properly.
Toyota Motor Corp. was the hardest hit. It has recalled 1.7 million vehicles, including 2001-2003 Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, and Tundra models. Honda's Civic, CR-V, and Odyssey models from the same years are also under recall.
The recall is so extensive because car companies have used the same parts for multiple models in order to cut costs. Takata, a large auto-parts manufacturer, was also responsible for a 9 million car recall in 1995 because it made faulty seat belts. Its stock closed down 9 percent in Tokyo.
