GM Ordered to Recall 5.9 Millions Vehicles With Faulty Airbags

We still haven’t heard the last of defective Takata airbag inflators. As it turns out, General Motors will now have to recall some 5.9 million vehicles equipped with these devices.

The automaker, believing a recall of these vehicles was not warranted based on the factual and scientific record, sent a petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) several months ago. However, the U.S. agency that regulates vehicle safety has just rejected it.

• Also: Report: There Could be Another Massive Takata Airbag Recall
• Also: 26,000 Audi Cars Recalled For an Airbag Problem

Affected vehicles include pickups and SUVs from the 2007-2014 model years including:

• Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe;
• GMC Sierra and Yukon;
• Cadillac Escalade;
• and others.

The number of units in Canada is estimated at 544,000.

The NHTSA ruled that the inflators in those vehicles "are at risk of the same type of explosion after long-term exposure to high heat and humidity as other recalled Takata inflators." 

GM claims the recall will cost the company more than $1.5 million CAD.

In a statement released today, GM assured it will abide by the NHTSA’s decision even though it disagrees with it “based on data generated through independent scientific evaluation conducted over several years.”

So far, over 100 million Takata inflators have been recalled globally, affecting 19 major automakers.

According to Automotive News, 18 deaths directly caused by this problem have been reported in the U.S., though none in GM vehicles. There have been 15 deaths in Honda vehicles, two in Ford vehicles and one in a BMW.