After six reported deaths, Takata is likely to recall 33.8 million U.S. vehicles with "potentially defective" airbags, The New York Times reports.
The Japanese airbag supplier is expected to announce the recall on Tuesday in conjunction with federal safety regulators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If Takata recalls the 33.8 million vehicles and admits its airbags may be defective, it would be the largest-ever automotive recall in the country.
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In addition to the six deaths, more than 100 injuries have been reported that fault the airbags. According to the Times, Takata's airbag inflators are known to "explode violently" and spray metal fragments onto passengers.
If Takata announces the airbags are defective, repairs to the recalled cars would happen in phases. Affected cars in high humidity areas would be the first repaired, because humid areas have seen most of the airbag issues, The Detroit News reports.
Update, 3:30 p.m.: Takata agreed on Tuesday afternoon to recall the 33.8 potentially defective airbag inflators, which will lead to the U.S.'s largest-ever auto recall. "Takata has agreed to confirm that Takata airbag inflators are defective," Anthony Foxx, the U.S. transportation secretary, told NBC News. "It is fair to say this is the most complex consumer recall in U.S. history."
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