Maker of faulty airbags apologizes for recall in newspaper ad

Japanese auto parts company Takata is apologizing for faulty airbags that have been recalled in nearly 8 million cars. 

“Even one failure is unacceptable and we are truly and deeply saddened that five fatalities have been attributed to auto accidents where Takata airbags malfunctioned,” Takata CEO Shigehisa Takada wrote in an open letter that appeared as a full-page ad Thursday in multiple U.S. newspapers.

“We understand the public’s concerns and we take them seriously,” he continued. 

{mosads}Takata has resisted pressure from lawmakers and federal regulators to expand a recall of its airbags after several were found to explode in some cases when they were deployed in humid conditions. 

Accidents involving the defective air bags have been linked to five deaths so far, and the recall of the faulty part has grown to include nearly 8 million cars. 

The company said in its advertisement Wednesday that “there should be no mistaking Takata’s position on the recently announced expanded safety campaigns and recalls.”

“Takata will work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the automakers to increase the production capacity for replacement airbags to support all safety campaigns or further recalls announced by the automakers,” Takada wrote. “We are building on existing efforts, led by our most senior engineers, to address any and all safety issues — but we recognize more must be done, now.” 

The defective Takata airbags were used in cars manufactured by companies including Honda, Lexus and Chrysler.

The company said it is working with auto companies to make sure that replacement parts are available for drivers who receive recall notices. 

“We are dramatically increasing the testing and analysis of inflators retrieved from the safety campaigns to inform our understanding of the problem and to help chart the best strategy for addressing it,” Takada wrote. “We are tripling our own capacity for testing and fully support efforts by the automakers and NHTSA to do additional testing and analysis of returned inflators.”

The full Takata open letter can be read here.