Toyota, Nissan recall 6.5mn vehicles globally. Here's why

Toyota and Nissan are recalling nearly 6.5 million vehicles globally in the latest chapter of an exploding airbag crisis linked to at least five deaths.

The world's biggest automaker, Toyota, said recalling five million vehicles affected its 35 models globally produced between March 2003 and November 2007. Meanwhile, Nissan said it was calling back 1.56 million vehicles worldwide due to faulty airbags made by embattled supplier Takata.

The move came as nearly 20 million vehicles produced by major automakers, including General Motors and Honda, were recalled because of the risk that Takata-made airbags could improperly inflate and rupture, potentially firing deadly shrapnel at the occupants.

As per AFP, at least five deaths have been linked to the defect, with one in the United States initially investigated as a murder due to her grisly injuries.

"This will affect many of our markets, including Japan, Europe and North America," a Nissan spokesman told AFP, adding the explosion risk is among a slew of problems seen in the defective airbags.

The spokesman added there might be many factors, saying they had seen risks that the metal casing for inflators could malfunction.
Nissan's recall affects a range of models produced from 2004-2008.

However, both automakers said there were no reports of deaths or injuries linked to their recall.

Toyota told the news agency the latest recall affects 1.35 million vehicles sold in Japan, 637,000 sold in the US and 1.26 million in Europe.
The firm, in an email, said it was conducting various investigations regarding Takata-produced airbag inflators.

(Image:Reuters)