Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 24, 1995 TAG: 9505240083
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The voluntary safety recall - one of the largest in history - was reached with seven Japanese manufacturers and two American manufacturers using the Takata Corp. seat belts.
``Our investigation showed, and the automakers acknowledged, that buttons in these buckles have broken and others may break in the future,'' said Transportation Secretary Federico Pena.
The buttons on Takata front seat belts will be replaced or repaired free and have been extended a lifetime warranty, said Ricardo Martinez, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The companies with the most vehicles involved in the recall, American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and Nissan North America Inc., will send letters to customers that prominently say ``important recall safety notice,'' government and company officials said.
The companies' sample letters also say the plastic orange belt button may break and pieces may fall into the seat belt assembly, creating a safety risk.
The other automakers, most of which confirmed they expect to follow suit with similar letters, are Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc., Mazda Motor of America Inc., American Suzuki Motor Corp., Isuzu Motors America Inc., Subaru of America Inc., General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Corp.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government announced that up to 900,000 Japanese-built cars with the Takata front belts would be recalled there by most of the same Japanese automakers.
Daihatsu Motor Co., which no longer makes vehicles in the United States, is continuing to meet with the government but has not reached an agreement, said William Boehly, an associate administrator of the safety agency.
Ford officials announced Tuesday that they did not believe any of the 265,000 Festiva vehicles they had first identified as carrying the TK-52 and TK-A7 belts actually had them.
The automakers will start notifying consumers in four months, with the oldest cars receiving notification first.
At least 90 injuries - but no deaths - have been reported from accidents in which the belts were used, according to NHTSA documents. There have been 931 consumer complaints that the Takata belts jammed or failed to lock or unlock.
by CNB