Ten different automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., will hire an independent engineering firm and a former top U.S. auto safety regulator to investigate a number of issues with air bags supplied by Takata Corp.
The automakers are looking for a forensic engineering firm in order to "to address the technical issues with Takata air bag inflators," Toyota spokeswoman Julie Hamp said in a statement to Reuters on behalf of the group.
Companies that are part of the joint initiative include: General Motors, Honda, Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Mazda, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, BMW AG, Fuji Heavy Industries and Toyota.
Former acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration David Kelly is reportedly the top candidate to coordinate the probe, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The companies involved have called back more than 14 million vehicles with defective air bags over the last 7 years. Takata has already agreed to support the industry consortium during its investigation, according to Reuters.
The Japanese supplier said in a company statement that it "is also conducting extensive testing and has engaged top automotive engineers and scientists from around the world to assist in evaluating inflator ruptures and discovering the root cause of these issues."
Takata announced back in December that Samuel Skinner, former U.S. secretary of transportation, would head a "quality assurance panel" in order to review their company's policies and responsiveness to regulators and automakers.
Toyota was the one to get the ball rolling on the initiative in early December after inviting other companies to join "a coordinated industry-wide joint initiative to independently test' Takata inflators involved in recalls.
Takata's air bag inflators have been known to rupture and spray shrapnel at people inside vehicles. The inflators have been linked to dozens of injuries and six deaths so far, all of which in Honda vehicles.
So what do you think about the initiative? Do you think they'll accomplish something or is it a waste of time?
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