Takata Corporation

Takata Corporation
Company type	Public (before bankruptcy)
Industry	Automotive parts manufacturing
Founded	1933; 93 years ago in Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Founder	Takezo Takada
Defunct	June 25, 2017 (filed for bankruptcy protection)
Fate	Acquired by Key Safety Systems
Headquarters	Germany (European headquarters), Japan (original headquarters)
Area served	Worldwide (production sites across four continents)
Products	Automotive parts, airbags, seat belts, child restraint systems, steering wheels, plastic components
Parent	Key Safety Systems (after acquisition)

was a Japanese manufacturer specializing in automotive parts, operating production sites across four continents with its European headquarters located in Germany. In 2013, faulty Takata airbag inflators produced at its Mexico facility triggered a recall involving 3.6 million vehicles. Following multiple fatalities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mandated a nationwide recall in the United States that surpassed 42 million cars, representing the largest automotive recall ever recorded in the U.S. In June 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy protection. Subsequently, the company was acquired by Key Safety Systems. To date, over 100 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled worldwide by more than 20 automobile manufacturers.

History

Takata was established in 1933 in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, by Takezo Takada, initially focusing on manufacturing parachute lifelines and textiles. During the early 1950s, the company began developing seat belt technology. By the 1960s, Takata was marketing seat belts and had created Japan’s inaugural crash test facility dedicated to real-world seat belt performance evaluation.

In the 1970s, Takata introduced child restraint systems. The company underwent rebranding as "Takata Corporation" in the 1980s and expanded internationally with operations in Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom to promote its seat belt products.

In 2000, Takata acquired German competitor Petri AG, forming Takata-Petri (later renamed Takata AG), which diversified its product range to include steering wheels and plastic components beyond traditional automotive parts.

On June 25, 2017, overwhelmed by compensation claims, Takata filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and sought similar safeguards in Japan. Its assets were purchased by Michigan-based, Chinese-owned Key Safety Systems for approximately $1.6 billion. After finalizing the acquisition on April 11, 2018, Key Safety Systems rebranded as Joyson Safety Systems, maintaining its operational base in Michigan.

1995 recall

In May 1995, a recall was issued affecting approximately 8.333 million vehicles primarily manufactured in Japan between 1986 and 1991 equipped with seat belts produced by Takata. At that time, this represented the "second largest recall" conducted by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The recall followed an NHTSA investigation triggered by reports of seat belt buckles failing to latch properly or unexpectedly releasing during collisions in Honda vehicles. The inquiry uncovered defective Takata seat belts installed across several Japanese-imported models.

A subsequent NHTSA investigation concentrated on front seat belt buckles, specifically targeting Takata’s 52X and A7X models used by eleven different manufacturers.

Affected Japanese automakers included Honda, Isuzu, Mazda, Nissan, Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, and Subaru for their U.S.-market vehicles.

Additionally, American manufacturers Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford sold cars fitted with these faulty seat belts under their own brands—examples include Dodge Stealth (a rebadged Mitsubishi GTO) and various Geo models—originally produced by Japanese companies.

Ford’s lineup also incorporated these seat belts in models such as the Probe (based on Mazda) and Festiva (manufactured by Kia but engineered by Mazda), although Ford did not acknowledge any defect issues.

Initially attributing buckle failures to misuse by drivers, NHTSA determined that these buckles were constructed from ABS plastic vulnerable to deterioration from ultraviolet light exposure, which caused malfunctions in the release mechanism.

The manufacturers consented to a voluntary recall; however, only about 18% of affected vehicles had been repaired two years after the recall announcement. NHTSA imposed fines of $50,000 each on Honda and Takata for delayed defect reporting; Honda faced penalties for allegedly being aware of the issue five years earlier but failing to inform regulators or initiate a timely recall.

Defective airbag recalls (2013–present)

Takata began manufacturing airbags in 1988 and had secured a 20% share of the market by 2014. Starting in 2013, numerous automakers launched extensive recalls due to airbags produced by Takata, with issues reportedly traced back to as early as 1998 in certain Honda models.

Honda reported over 100 injuries and thirteen fatalities worldwide connected to Takata airbags. Between April and May 2013, approximately 3.6 million vehicles were recalled because of faulty inflator units made at Takata's Monclova facility in Mexico, operated by its subsidiary TK Holdings Inc. By November 2014, BMW redirected its orders from the Mexican plant to a manufacturing site in Germany.

In June 2014, Takata conceded to improper handling of explosive propellants and inadequate chemical storage practices, which hindered the identification of defects due to substandard quality control. This admission prompted additional recalls. On June 23, 2014, leading automakers such as BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota collectively recalled over three million vehicles worldwide after discovering that airbags could rupture and expel debris.

Takata blamed the defects on excessive moisture compromising the stability of propellants inside the inflators. Fatal accidents persisted, including the death of a pregnant woman in Malaysia in July 2014 caused by a ruptured airbag fragment.

On November 18, 2014, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered a nationwide recall involving ten automakers for hundreds of thousands of vehicles equipped with defective Takata airbags.

By May 19, 2015, Takata was accountable for the largest automotive recall in history—affecting 40 million vehicles across twelve brands—due to airbags prone to exploding and ejecting shrapnel into occupants. The total number of recalled vehicles subsequently increased to around 53 million. In November 2015, U.S. regulators imposed a $200 million fine on Takata following their admission of responsibility. Prominent manufacturers including Toyota, Mazda, and Honda discontinued using ammonium nitrate-based inflators.

In May 2016, NHTSA expanded recall efforts by an additional estimated 35 to 40 million inflators beyond the previous total of 28.8 million units recalled.

In January 2017, three Takata executives faced criminal negligence charges in the U.S. related to exploding airbags. Takata pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $1 billion in fines and compensation covering victims and automakers. At least sixteen fatalities were connected to this defect.

Australia mandated a compulsory recall for all vehicles fitted with Takata airbags in February 2018, impacting approximately 2.3 million cars; New Zealand followed suit with a mandatory recall of about 50,000 vehicles equipped with Alpha-type Takata airbags in April 2018.

Further recalls included over 220,000 Honda vehicles in Canada (June 2018), nearly one million Ford vehicles across North America (January 2019), and an additional recall of around 1.4 million front driver inflators by Takata in the U.S. (December 2019). The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued alerts concerning roughly 78,000 cars from various brands toward the end of 2019.

In June 2021, Joyson uncovered more than a thousand instances of falsified seat belt safety test data at former Takata manufacturing sites.

In July and November 2022, Stellantis advised nearly 305,000 owners of Dodge Ram pickups and other models to cease driving following multiple fatalities linked to Takata inflators. Honda issued comparable warnings in February 2023 after additional deaths; it has reported at least seventeen fatalities and over two hundred injuries within the United States.

In January 2024, Toyota and General Motors recalled about 61,000 older Corolla, Matrix, RAV4, and Pontiac Vibe models equipped with Takata airbags in the U.S.

By early 2024, more than 100 million airbag inflators globally have been recalled by upwards of twenty automakers. As of September 2024, defective Takata airbags have been associated with 28 deaths in the United States and 35 deaths worldwide.

Vehicles impacted

By 2017, the recall affected numerous automakers, including Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Citroën, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler Trucks North America, Daimler Vans USA LLC, Dodge/Ram, Ferrari, Ford, GMC, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Scion, Subaru, and Toyota.

Back in 2014, limited regional recalls were reported to the NHTSA by BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota due to a potential safety issue involving Takata airbag inflators.

In May 2014, General Motors expanded their recall to include the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze and other models after identifying an electrical fault with Takata airbags. This recall also covered the Buick Verano, Chevrolet Sonic, and Chevrolet Camaro. On June 25 of the same year, GM directed dealers across North America to halt sales of 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Cruze sedans equipped with suspect Takata driver's airbag inflator modules. Meanwhile, Toyota announced a recall affecting 2.3 million vehicles in June 2014.

On July 17, 2015, Ferrari issued a recall for its 2014-15 models due to incorrectly installed driver’s side airbags and inadequately glued leather covers. Tests revealed that airbags could deploy in a rotated position, increasing the risk of injury.

Following a tenth fatality linked to a ruptured airbag in a 2006 Ford Ranger toward the end of 2015, Ford expanded its recall to include additional models.

Although Takata asserted that the defect mainly impacted vehicles in hot and humid climates, all potentially affected cars were recalled as a precautionary measure. Notably, no confirmed incidents occurred within the UK or Europe.

In South America, Brazil identified Takata airbag defects across 17 automobile brands. According to Brazil’s Secretaria Nacional de Trânsito (SENATRAN), inspections or product replacements have not been completed for 2.5 million out of the 3.5 million vehicles involved. Eight fatalities were recorded in accidents involving Honda (Civic) and General Motors (Chevrolet Celta) vehicles; Honda acknowledged only one fatality. The latest death was reported in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro in April 2024. Additionally in 2024, several Opel models manufactured under General Motors were recalled due to the same airbag issue.

In 2025, Citroën recalled close to 900,000 vehicles throughout Europe including the Citroën C3 (2009-2019) and DS3 models. In June of that year Stellantis expanded the recall and strongly advised owners not to operate affected cars until airbag replacements were completed. By August the recall was further broadened to encompass Citroën C4 (2010-2018), DS4 and DS5 models.

Note

References

External links

Archived official site (captured 11 March 2017)
Comprehensive list of vehicles impacted by the Takata airbag recall in the United States (U.S. Department of Transportation)
Takata Corporation official homepage (archived)
Bernstein, Joanna Zuckerman; Klayman, Ben (20 November 2014). "Special Report: Facility with a troubled history central to Takata airbag investigation". Reuters. Accessed 25 May 2015.
Lienert, Paul; Dye, Jessica (24 March 2016). "Exclusive: Honda and Takata’s covert airbag repair strategy" Reuters