China's FAW to recall 680,000 more Mazda cars over faulty Takata airbags
Recall includes Mazda 6 vehicles manufactured in China between September 2008 and March 31 2016
China’s FAW Car Co, a partner of Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp, will recall over 680,000 Mazda cars due to issues with air bags that were supplied by embattled Japanese auto parts supplier Takata Corp.
The recall includes Mazda 6 vehicles manufactured in China between September 2008 and March 31 2016, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement on its website on Friday.
All faulty parts will be replaced free of charge.
The watchdog said the issue was related to dangerous defects in the airbag inflator on the passenger side, and follows an earlier recall of 280,000 Mazda 6 models manufactured between 2003 and 2008 for a similar issue.
Takata filed for bankruptcy in Japan and the United States last month, burdened with tens of billions in liabilities related to a decade of recalls and lawsuits over faulty airbags supplied to some of the world’s biggest auto brands.
The airbags have been linked to at least 16 deaths and 180 injuries.
The firm will be largely acquired for US$1.6 billion by Chinese-owned, US-based firm Key Safety Systems as part of its financial restructuring.
On Friday the Chinese watchdog said in a statement that it has asked foreign firms General Motors, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen to fulfil their obligations to recall vehicles in China affected by faulty Takata air bags as soon as possible.
It estimated that more than 20 million cars in China were equipped with the faulty airbags, which can explode on impact and spray shrapnel.
Of 37 car manufacturers affected by the faulty air bag issue in China, 24 had already recalled 10.6 million cars by the end of June while another five had made plans to recall a further 1.7 million vehicles, it said.
Global and Chinese carmakers recalled 4.5 million defective vehicles in the first five months of the year, compared with 8.8 million in the first half of 2016.
