An additional 35 million to 40 million faulty air bag inflators made by Japan’s Takata Corp., an auto-parts supplier were recalled by the Department of Transportation.

28.8 million Takata inflators have been recalled already by the company under pressure from US authorities. The result of the massive action will result in what is being viewed as the largest safety recall in U.S. history.

The problem comes down to this: “the inflators’ propensity to rupture”, said DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Those ruptures have been tied to 10 deaths and more than 100 injuries in the US.

“The acceleration of this recall is based on scientific evidence and will protect all Americans from air bag inflators that may become unsafe,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

The government says: “time, environmental moisture and fluctuating high temperatures contribute to the degradation of the ammonium nitrate propellant in the inflators. Such degradation can cause the propellant to burn too quickly.”

Drivers and passengers can be sprayed by shrapnel by the rapid burn which can rupture the inflator causing injuries and even death.

“People who receive notification that there is a remedy available for their vehicle should act immediately to have their inflator fixed,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said.

The vehicle owners were urged to check the website SaferCar.gov for further information about any open recalls, he said.

What to do to have safety problems fixed free of charge can also be found on that website by the owners. The specific car and truck models included in the latest Takata recall were not immediately released.

For violations of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the largest civil penalty in its history of the US auto sector was imposed by the NHTSA last year on Takata. With the aim of to assessing, tracking and reporting the company’s compliance with the recall program, an independent monitor has been appointed by the NHTSA.

Takata makes air bags, seat belts and other parts for the auto industry. Following the controversy and the possibly the largest recall in the history of the US auto industry, the company now faces huge losses.

With the aim of covering the cost of the recalls and settlements with victims, Takata said earlier this week that it would book one-time charges totaling 20.1 billion yen, or $189 million.

There has been severe ad widespread criticism of the company of its allegedly deliberate and slow movement with regards to recognizing the problem and providing the US authorities with complete and accurate information on the issue. Experts of the industry said that the company would now have to spend years in replacing all of the defective parts.

The social media has been flooded with frustration expressed by many consumers.

Last month, NHTSA said there were about 85 million unrecalled Takata air bag inflators in U.S. vehicles that would need to be recalled by 2019 unless the company can prove they are safe.

(Adapted from npr.org)