Feds want to run air bag recall, speed up fixes

DETROIT – Exploding air bags made by Takata Corp. are so dangerous that U.S. safety regulators want to manage a massive recall so cars can be fixed faster.

On Tuesday, Takata doubled the size of its recall to 33.8 million air bags, making it the largest recall in U.S. history. The air bags can inflate with too much force, sending metal shrapnel into drivers and passengers. So far the problem has caused six deaths, including five in the U.S.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in paperwork posted Thursday, says the recall involving 11 manufacturers has created a patchwork of solutions that may not fix the problem quickly enough. The agency, for the first time in its history, has started the legal process asking for input on how it can control production, delivery and installation of replacement air bag inflators.

“The number of impacted vehicles and manufacturers in combination with the supply issues related to these air bag recalls adds a previously unprecedented level of complexity to this recall,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind wrote in papers posted Thursday in the Federal Register.

The agency wants to accelerate the recall process, which could take more than 2 1/2 years to complete at the current pace of production of replacement parts. Takata says it has increased production to 500,000 inflators per month with plans to make up to 1 million monthly by September. So far it has manufactured about 3.8 million replacements.