Global carmakers including Nissan Motor, BMW and Ford, this week launched a lawsuit in a US court against Japan's Takata for losses incurred due to its faulty airbags, according to reports in the US.

More than 100m vehicles have been recalled worldwide over the last three years because of Takata's faulty airbag inflators which have been linked to 17 deaths and numerous injuries worldwide. 

The automakers face lawsuits from their own customers which claim they knew the inflators were faulty. 

Ford, in a statement in Miami federal court, said it would not have purchased the airbags had Takata not withheld critical test data about the airbag inflators, adding it would have insisted that any problems be resolved before the airbags were purchased or fitted to its vehicles. Similar arguments were also made by Nissan and BMW. 

News has also emerged Takata may soon file for bankruptcy, having recently spun off its healthy business into a new company, paving the way for a possible takeover by US components manufacturer Key Safety Systems.

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