Takata Corporation's issue with its airbags continues to affect Japanese automakers, with Toyota and Nissan announcing recalls Wednesday for a total of 6.5 million vehicles to fix safety issues.
Toyota will call back 637,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Nissan will call back 1.36 million in Japan, covering models made between 2003 and 2007, according to The New York Times. Both companies said they didn't receive any reports about an injuries related to the faulty airbags.
Toyota said the problem is that the airbag mechanisms in some of the recalled cars could be degrading over time. The company added in an email that "certain types of airbags inflaters were found to have a potential for moisture intrusion over time," which could result in the airbags malfunctioning during a crash.
The airbag issue surfaced a decade ago, when Takata, one of the world's biggest airbag makers, found problems with the chemical mix in the bags that Toyota said could make them "susceptible to abnormal deployment in a crash," CNN reported. The main fear among auotmakers is that the airbags might explode, resulting in shrapnel flying at drivers and passengers. At least five deaths have been connected to the issue so far.
"Among the parts collected from the Japanese market, certain types of airbags inflators were found to have a potential for moisture intrusion over time," the company said in a statement.
Among the recalled models include 2005 to 2007 Toyota Corollas, Matrixes and Sequoias, as well as 2005 and 2006 Tundras and 2005 to 2007 Lexus SCs, USA Today reported. The recall also includes airbags from about 160,000 RAV4 SUVs in the U.S. in 2004 and 2005.
