Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru expand global Takata recalls by 715k [UPDATE]

Fri, May 22 2015

UPDATE: Subaru of America spokesperson Michael McHale tells Autoblog that the company is recalling 78,000 Imprezas from the 2004 and 2005 model years in the US. This is a national expansion of the company's previous regional recall for the Impreza.

The Takata airbag inflator recall just keeps growing. The latest expansion encompasses 715,000 vehicles from Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru. Many of the affected models are in Japan.

The largest expansion from these three automakers comes from Mitsubishi. According to Reuters, the company is adding 100,000 vehicles in Japan and 412,000 outside of the country without identifying any specific regions.

Mazda is issuing safety campaigns for 112,000 vehicles in Japan, and some of these include models that the company produces there for Mitsubishi and Nissan, according to Reuters. In statement to Autoblog (embedded below), Mazda said that it is still evaluating the situation in terms of a possible effect on the US.

Finally, Subaru is calling in 91,000 Imprezas in Japan.

At this time, it isn't clear whether Mitsubishi's or Subaru's expansions affect the United States, but Autoblog has reached out to them for more information. According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, exposure to moisture can cause the propellant in these inflators to ignite too quickly and cause these dangerous ruptures. Takata has also been investigating the problem.

Related Video:

Mazda statement

"We are aware of the NHTSA/Takata announcement, and are evaluating the effects of it on Mazda. As soon as we have had a chance to fully evaluate the situation – number of vehicles affected, age of those vehicles, where they're located, etc. Â– we will be able to share those details."

By Chris Bruce