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Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Toyota and Fiat Chrysler added a combined 2.9 million more vehicles to a recall for potentially faulty passenger-side front airbag inflators. Fiat Chrysler said Thursday 1.6 million vehicles with airbags sourced from Takata Corp. will be included in the recall. Toyota added 1.3 million Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles Friday.
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The announcements are the latest round of airbag recalls. Automakers, working with the national Highway Transportation Safety Administration, have announced several steps of replacement recalls, starting with highest-risk regions. The final wave is expected in early 2020.
The passenger-side airbag has been shown potentially defective after exposure to humidity, high temperatures, and temperature cycling. Ammonium nitrate is used to inflate the airbag, a material that can become unstable over time and lead to an unexpectedly violent explosion. Defective inflators could spray drivers and passengers with metal fragments when the airbag deploys.
The long-running Takata airbag recall has involved 50 million inflators in 37 million vehicles from 19 manufacturers, the NHTSA said. It added that at least 15 people have died, and more than 250 have been injured related to the inflator.
The Fiat Chrysler recall includes the 2010 Ram 3500, 2010 Ram 4500/5500, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2011-2015 Dodge Charger, 2010-2015 Chrysler 300 and 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler models.
The Toyota recall includes the 2010-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2013 Toyota Matrix, 2011-2014 Toyota Sienna, 2010-2015 Scion xB, 2010-2015 Lexus ES 350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX 460, 2010-2015 Lexus IS 250C/350C, 2010-2013 Lexus IS 250/350 and 2010-2014 Lexus IS-F.
The announcements follow a Jan. 4 recall of 953,000 Ford vehicles for the same issue.
