Toyota Motor has said it would replace Takata airbag inflators in 1.6m cars in Japan that had previously been recalled after concluding that they may still be unsafe.
The decision was prompted after a passenger in a Nissan vehicle was injured this year when an airbag ruptured, despite the inflator having been checked in an earlier inspection, Reuters reported. Nissan this month reissued recalls for around 310,000 vehicles in Japan due to the incident.
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In earlier inspections, automakers had checked the inflators, which use ammonium nitrate, for air leaks and deemed some safe enough not to be replaced. But Toyota said in emailed comments that it would now replace all of those inflators. Takata would make the replacement parts.
Reuters said the the recall affects around 20 domestic models produced between 2004 and 2008, including the Vitz [Yaris] compact. The initial recalls were conducted in May and June.
Information on how this may affect recalls outside Japan was not immediately available.
