Toyota drops air bag supplier Takata

The president of Toyota said Friday that his company will drop the embattled safety equipment maker Takata as a supplier of air bag inflaters after a similar move by Honda, a decision that widens the fallout from the largest auto safety recall in history.

Akio Toyoda said at a news conference that Toyota is “placing top priority on ensuring the safety and confidence of our customers.”

”Going forward, we will not use Takata air bag components that use ammonium nitrate,” he said, referring to a propellant in the inflaters that some specialists say can destabilize, in extreme cases causing the device to explode and send metal fragments shooting into the vehicle.

Eight deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the defective inflaters.

The New York Times

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Toyota drops air bag supplier Takata."