Toyota to recall 57,000 cars with Takata air bags

Tokyo

TOYOTA Motor Corp said on Thursday it would recall 57,000 vehicles globally to replace potentially deadly air bags made by Takata Corp, in a sign that a safety crisis around the Japanese auto parts maker is far from contained.

Toyota's action follows a recall by rival Honda Motor Co for the same problem two weeks ago after revelations of a fifth death, in Malaysia, linked to Takata's air bag inflator. More than 16 million vehicles have been recalled worldwide since 2008 over Takata's air bag inflators, which can explode with too much force and spray metal fragments into the car.

Subject to Toyota's recall are some Vitz subcompacts, called Yaris in some markets, and RAV4 crossover models made between Dec 2002 and March 2004. About 40,000 are in Japan, 6,000 in Europe and the rest in other markets outside North America. Toyota said it was not aware of any injury or death related to the latest recall.

Separately, Toyota's small-car subsidiary Daihatsu Motor Co also issued a recall, in Japan, of 27,571 Mira minivehicles produced between Dec 2002 and May 2003 for the same reason - its first recall involving Takata air bag inflators.

Takata-related recalls are almost certain to balloon after US safety regulators on Wednesday ordered the company to expand a regional recall of driver-side air bags to cover the entire US, not just hot and humid areas where the air bag inflators are thought to become more volatile.

Takata has so far resisted expanding the recall, saying that could divert replacement parts away from the high-humidity regions that need them most.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has given Takata until next Tuesday to issue a nationwide recall, and could fine it up to US$7,000 per vehicle if it doesn't comply. It remains unclear how many more vehicles that would add, but it could be in the millions, affecting Ford, Honda, Chrysler, Mazda and BMW. REUTERS