Recall alert: 270,000 Mazdas over dangerous Takata air bags

It’s the auto recall that just won’t quit. The ever-expanding Takata air bag recall has now grown to encompass more than a quarter million additional vehicles.

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Takata air bag recall continues

Mazda is recalling nearly 270,000 vehicles because the passenger-side air bags manufactured by Takata could potentially explode under some conditions.

The cause of the possible explosion has been linked to chemicals used to inflate the air bags that may degrade in certain circumstances. If that happens, the air bags would deploy forcefully and create flying shrapnel when the bags shatter a metal canister within the air bag assembly.

The Associated Press reports select vehicles in the following model years and styles are affected in this recall across the country, unless otherwise noted:

• 2003-2008 Mazda6
• 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6
• 2004 MPV vehicles
• 2005-2006 MPV models in certain states

Owners on record who have one of these vehicles will be contacted shortly to receive replacement side-air bags free of charge at a Mazda dealership.

The Takata air bag recall, which is the largest ever in automotive history, now includes some 50 million inflators. The defects that prompted the recall have been linked to 22 deaths and more than 180 injuries over the past several years.

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