Japan, the country where Takata Corporation is located, is investigating whether the Tokyo-based auto supplier knew about or should have known about the airbag defects that have thus far caused five fatalities and countless injuries.
The Japanese Transport Ministry is investigating Takata and this recently launched investigation is in addition to the one launched by U.S. safety Regulator the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The NHTSA has urged Takata to respond to requests for information by Dec. 1 or face penalties including a $35 million fine.
Takata sent the NHTSA a letter on Dec. 2nd refusing to widen its recall to include all vehicles affected by the defective and exploding airbags.
The Japanese auto supplier argued in a letter to the NHTSA that the recall did not need to be widened beyond the hot and humid states that the existing regional recalls cover.
Auto manufacturers like Honda, however, are taking matters into their own hands. Honda, the auto manufacturer in whose vehicle the fifth fatality occurred, has announced that the company is prepared to expand its recalls to affected vehicles across the nation.
Takata argued that the unnecessary widening of the recall would increase the already existing shortage in airbag replacement components.
The NHTSA is deciding what to do in light of Takatas refusal to expand the recall. Toyota Motor Corporation and other auto manufacturers are calling for independent testing of Takata airbag inflators. In many ways, this request reveals that the auto companies are not comfortable with Takatas assessment that their airbags pose no danger outside of high-humidity regions.
In response to the investigations launched by the Japanese and American governments, the companys stock prices continued their downward slide. The companys stock is down more than 50 percent this year.
Takata Injury Lawyers
At GWC Injury Lawyers, our Takata lawsuit lawyers have been working closely with injured motorists throughout Illinois to address this global recall crisis.If you or a loved one has been harmed in an accident involving defective Takata airbags, act quickly to assert your legal rights.
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