BYD recalls more than 10,000 cars over Takata airbags

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Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has announced a recall of more than 10,000 cars to replace potentially faulty airbags, according to the country's top quality supervisor.

The recall, which started on Friday, covers 10,064 Denza models manufactured between September 19, 2014 and December 5, 2017, according to China's State Administration for Market Regulation.

The vehicles being recalled are equipped with Takata-produced front airbag inflators, which have a potential risk of rupture when the airbag is deployed, the auto maker said in a statement delivered to the administration.

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A Takata air bag inflator ruptured in a fatal car crash in Malaysia, Honda Motor Co said early this month, in what appears to be the 23rd death worldwide linked to the faulty part that can emit deadly metal fragments.

More than 290 injuries worldwide are also linked to Takata inflators that can explode, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks. The defect led Takata to file for bankruptcy protection in June 2017.

In April, auto components maker Key Safety Systems completed a 1.6 billion US dollars deal to acquire Takata. The merged company is now known as Joyson Safety Systems and is a subsidiary of China’s Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp.

Shenzhen Denza New Energy Automotive Co., a joint venture between the BYD and German carmaker Daimler, will be responsible for replacing the defective airbags free of charge.

Source(s): Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency