Takata Takes Out Open Letter, Won’t Expand Recall

bizoo_n/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Takata Corporation placed an open letter in U.S. and German newspapers on Thursday, defending its products and explaining the steps it will take to replace the faulty air bags while declining to expand some recalls nationwide.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had urged the company to expand its recall from only high-humidity regions to a full nationwide recall. The company, however, did not say that it would do so.

Instead, Takata says it is working to “increase the production capacity for replacement airbags to support all safety campaigns or further recalls announced by the automakers.” Additionally, it will continue “working with our customers and other airbag producers to produce more replacement units” and “exploring whether other producers’ current airbags can be used in replacement kits.”

Finally, Takata said, it will work with the NHTSA and automakers to solve the problem expediently.

That letter was published in papers including The Detroit News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Detroit Free Press, among others.

NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman on Thursday announced that Ford has sent notice that they will comply with the request for an expanded recall of all vehicles in the U.S. containing the problematic front driver’s side air bags. Ford joins Mazda and Honda as the three automakers to comply with NHTSA’s request thus far. Chrysler and BMW, as well as Takata, “have failed to take the same action and, if necessary, we are prepared to force them to do so in the interest of public safety.”

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