Only 15.8 million of 46 million recalled Takata inflators in U.S. fixed to this day

Over 65 percent of 46.2 million recalled Takata air bag inflators in the United States have not been fixed, a U.S. senator stated on Thursday, prompting automakers to accelerate the speed of repair works.

Senator Bill Nelson of Florida stated only 15.8 million inflators from 46.2 million inflators recalled to this day have been repaired through mid-May, though across the country recalls started in 2015. He was mentioning responses submitted from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) independent monitor.

About 8.8 million owners had got recall notifications, Nelson stated, however they were told no replacement parts were presently available.

The impacted Takata inflators can explode with extreme force, unleashing metal shrapnel inside vehicles. They have been blamed for a minimum of 16 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide.

Inflator recalls started around 2008 and involve around 100 million inflators worldwide utilized in vehicles made by 19 automakers, consisting of Honda Motor, Ford Motor, Volkswagen and Tesla.

Takata spokesperson Jared Levy stated the company “has dramatically increased the production of airbag replacement kits.” Takata has shipped more than 26 million replacement kits, two-thirds which consist of inflators made by other providers, Levy said.

Last month, four car manufacturers involved in the recalls accepted a $553 million settlement covering owners of almost 16 million vehicles with Takata airbag inflators, and accepted to take new actions to motivate owners to get recall repairs made.

Toyota Motor share of the settlement expenses is $278.5 million, followed by BMW at $131 million, Mazda Motor at $76 million and Subaru at $68 million.

Nelson noted the administration of US President Donald Trump still had not nominated a candidate to head NHTSA.