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Takata Issues Open Letter Saying It Has Enough Funds to Solve 21 Million Airbag Crisis

In what could turn out to be one of the biggest scandals in the industry this year, the Takata Corporation CEO issued an open letter claiming that the situation is under control and that efforts have been increased to solve the current crisis as soon as possible. At the moment, according to our calculations, the company has to build around 21 million replacement airbag modules.
takata logo 1 photo
Photo: takata
The number is so high because more than one automaker was affected by these faulty parts. Actually, Honda, BMW, Toyota and even GM were all included in this so-called ‘black list’. Now, the president is taking matters into his own hands.

In his recent letter he claims that unlike what the press reported, all possible measures are taken to make sure the problem is fixed ASAP. After having to deal with 5 claims that people actually died from malfunctioning products from his company, it was about time to man up and take responsibility.

He’s not only the company’s CEO but also the grandson of its founder. His family owns around 60 percent of the capital so it’s not just a matter of pride here but also of future financial plans as the recent events might hit the company’s share prices (that have plunged 56 percent since January).

According to him, the Takata Corporation will be working “with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the automakers to increase the production capacity for replacement airbags to support all safety campaigns or further recalls announced by the automakers.”

Other airbag manufacturers have also been contacted to help with the production of replacement parts or even maybe supply some of their own products to use instead if the situation allows it.

In the meantime, the have tripled their capacity for testing and are trying to see exactly what the fault was on the returned inflators. In this regard an independent Quality Assurance Panel was contracted, led by former Secretary of the US Department of Transportation Samuel K. Skinner to see if there’s a problem with the way the parts are being made.

It all sounds good in theory but facts speak louder than words and the way Takata has been dealing with the situation so far is nowhere near satisfactory. Million of customers are currently afraid to used their cars and still waiting for replacement parts. In the meantime, more accidents can happen, leading to possible fatalities. We attached the open letter in a pdf format for your own reading pleasure.
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 Download: Takata open letter (PDF)

 

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