A congressional report released this week alleged that Toyota, Fiat Chrysler, Volkswagen and Mitsubishi continue to sell new cars with potentially deadly Takata airbags.
The Associated Press reports that the findings, released by Democratic members of the Senate Commerce Committee, showed that some 2016 and 2017 models included the same type of airbag inflator blamed for at least 10 deaths in the U.S.
The inflators in question use ammonium nitrate to deploy airbags in the event of a crash, but without a drying agent, the propellant can degrade over time — particularly in hot and humid environments. If the chemical deteriorates, the inflators can explode and send shrapnel into vehicle interiors.
Federal regulators last month announced plans to recall all cars with Takata inflators that do not include a drying agent — up to 40 million additional vehicles — which means that the newly sold cars in the committee report would eventually face a recall.
Authorities, however, said at the time that the additional recalls would take place before the inflators posed a danger to drivers or passengers.
