Major automakers including Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda announced a recall of 3.4 million vehicles Thursday due to dysfunctional airbags. The decision followed five cases of airbag malfunction in the United States and Japan, which resulted in no injuries.
The airbags were produced by Takata, a seat belt and airbag manufacturing company headquartered in Japan. Concerns over fire hazard and faulty inflation prompted recalls of 1.73 million Toyotas, 1.14 million Hondas, 480,000 Nissans and 45,000 Mazdas.
Toyota models affected by the recall include the Corolla, Tundra, Yaris and Camry. Nissan recalled the Maxima and Cube. Toyota Motor Sales, USA says in a statement that "improperly manufactured propellent wafers could cause the inflator to rupture and the front passenger airbag to deploy abnormally in the event of a crash."
Honda recalled 1.1 million vehicles globally, 680,000 in the United States.
"It is possible that the passenger front airbag inflators in affected vehicles may deploy with too much pressure, which may cause the inflator casing to rupture and could result in injury," Honda said in a press release.
Companies announced they will repair passenger seat airbags free of charge. Owners whose vehicles have been found to have a faulty inflator will be notified by first-class mail.
Following Honda Motor Co's previous recall, Takata inspected the site of manufacturing. According to spokesman Hidiyuki Matsumoto, the company was unable to isolate or fix the problem. Takata also supplies airbags for Ford and Daimler, among other foreign vehicle manufacturers.
Automakers have increasingly relied on the same suppliers for common or similar parts in an effort to cut costs.
Shares were up between 3.1 and 5.8 percent. Takata did not share estimations for repair costs.
