Mazda recalling 1.6mln vehicles

TOKYO: Japanese automaker Mazda said it Friday it was recalling another 1.6 million vehicles equipped with airbags at risk of injuring or killing passengers, bringing its global total to an estimated 2.02 million.
The firm said its latest recall included 465,000 vehicles in the United States and 76,000 in Japan for the model years 2003 through 2008, but did not disclose where the remaining vehicles were sold.
The announcement marked the latest chapter in a snowballing crisis for Tokyo-based airbag supplier Takata which last month agreed to double a US recall to a record of nearly 34 million vehicles. The defect — thought to be linked to a chemical propellant that helps inflate the airbags — can cause them to deploy with explosive force, sending metal shrapnel hurtling toward drivers and passengers.
At least six deaths and scores of injuries have been linked to Takata-made airbags in cars made by almost a dozen automakers including Honda, Toyota, General Motors and BMW.