Germans Recall 1.7 Million More US Vehicles For Takata Airbags

Volkswagen said it will recall 680,000 vehicles in the United States due to the potentially faulty airbags, while Audi will recall about 170,000 vehicles, spokespeople for the companies said.

This recall marks the latest trouble that the Japan-based Takata Corporation has faced since some of its inflators were found to be defective and some airbags exploded when activated, spouting shards of metal that haves caused both injuries and deaths, according to CNN Money.

These German autos are part of the 5.1 million-car recall announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month in relation to the Takata airbag inflators that have been known to launch shrapnel upon deployment.

The recalls by the German automakers bring the announced vehicle recalls to the total outlined by Takata. The vehicles which will be recalled are equipped with Takata airbags and this move is the latest in a long-running safety crisis involving the Japanese automotive components supplier.

The recall includes the Mercedes-Benz SLK convertible, the C-Class and E-Class sedans, the M and GL-Class sports utility vehicles as well as the R-Class and SLS coupe made between 2005 and 2014, as well as vans made between 2007 and 2014, including vehicles bearing the Dodge, Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter brands. That followed Tuesday’s announcement by Daimler AG that it was recalling 840,000 vehicles.

Earlier, Honda Motor Co recalled 2.23 million USA vehicles in the most recent Takata expansion. In addition, Ford has recalled 361,000 Ranger pickups with the airbags and Mazda about 20,000 of its B-Series trucks. The company faces an ongoing U.S. Justice Department investigation. Daimler, VW and BMW each said they are not aware of any air bag failures in their vehicles.

Does your vehicle have a recall? The expense will reduce group net income for past year to 8.7 billion euros from the 8.94 billion euros outlined on February 4.

In November, U.S. regulators fined Takata $70 million.