General Motors is recalling roughly 7 million pickup trucks and SUVs globally, including 6 million in the United States, due to faulty Takata airbag inflators.
GM made the announcement Monday and said they would not fight a U.S. government decision forcing them to recall the 6 million American vehicles, according to the Associated Press. The process will cost the manufacturer about a third of its total net income for this year, or $1.2 billion, per the AP.
BREAKING: The U.S. is making General Motors recall and repair nearly 6 million big pickup trucks and SUVs equipped with potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators. The recall will cost the automaker an estimated $1.2 billion. https://t.co/g7MaCbKFxi
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 23, 2020
The company petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration four times in the last four years to cancel the recalls, arguing that the inflators had been proven safe through testing and road use, the AP says. The NHTSA denied the petitions for good Monday. (RELATED: Boeing 737 MAX Jets Approved For Flight After Deadly Crashes)
About 100 million of the Takata inflators have been recalled worldwide in total, the AP reports. The ammonium nitrate in the inflators, which creates a small explosion upon crashing causing the airbags to inflate, can deteriorate when exposed to heat or humidity and cause a larger, dangerous explosion due to too much pressure building. (RELATED: Here Are The Pro-Union Labor Laws Joe Biden Has Promised To Pass As President)
27 people, 18 of which were in the U.S., have been killed by the inflators exploding, according to the AP. This recall marks the last of the outstanding Takata inflators in the U.S. to be replaced, says the AP. (RELATED: Global Stocks Rise After AstraZeneca Vaccine Announcement)
The GM recall will include full-size pickups and SUVs from model years 2007-2014. Among the vehicles recalled will be America’s second-most popular vehicle, the Chevy Silverado, Chevy’s Tahoe, Avalanche, and Suburban SUVs, GMC’s Sierra and Yukon, and the Cadillac Escalade.