At least 28 deaths have been linked worldwide to Takata airbags
U.S. auto safety investigators are launching an investigation into 30 million vehicles, built by a dozen automakers, with potentially faulty Takata airbags, according to a government document released by Reuters.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Friday launched an engineering analysis that will involve about 30 million vehicles in the U.S. from 2001 to 2019. The automakers were informed of the investigation, which is noted to be not yet public.
The automakers currently either declined to comment ahead of NHTSA’s public announcement, or did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The 30 million vehicles covered by the study include those that acquired the airbags during construction and those that received the airbags after repairs.
The recalls were made as the specific airbags appeared to in rare cases be able to eject deadly metal fragments. There have been at least 28 deaths worldwide, including 19 in the United States linked to defective Takata, and more than 400 injured.
