Fixing recalled air bags could take years

DETROIT - Takata Corp's record U.S. recall of potentially deadly air bag inflators could take years to complete, industry experts and safety advocates said, as automakers scrambled to line up replacement parts - some not from Takata.

After doubling its recall of defective air bags this week to nearly 34 million vehicles, the Japanese company and competitors raced to ramp up production of replacement parts.

The complexity of the recall could play out over at least two years, said Kevin Pollack, vice president for Stericycle ExpertSolutions, which is helping some of the affected automakers.

'There weren't 30 million extra air bag inflators sitting around,” he said.

A Takata spokesman said the company would raise output to 1 million inflators a month by September, up from the current 500,000 a month.

Takata and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has hired independent research group Battelle to uncover the technical cause of the problem, said the priority for the replacement parts would be older vehicles and those in higher-humidity regions.

The air bag inflators have been found to explode with too much force, spraying metal fragments inside cars and forcing automakers to recall more than 53 million vehicles worldwide since 2008. The component has been linked to six deaths, all in cars made by the supplier's top customer, Honda.

Jack Gillis of consumer advocacy group Consumer Federation of America believes the recall could take up to five years to resolve.

Takata and its customers will determine who receives the replacement parts, in a process being overseen by the NHTSA.

Takata has been facing pressure from U.S. safety regulators, lawmakers and its automaker customers to increase production of the replacement parts. Several automakers have turned to other suppliers to meet demand.

General Motors said in December it had developed contingency plans, directing Takata to share specifications with rivals Autoliv and TRW.

A Toyota spokeswoman said Wednesday the company is working with Takata for most replacement inflators, but will use Japan's Daicel Corp for some parts also.

Nissan said it would not comment on supplier selection or potential negotiations. Ford has previously said it has spoken with Takata rivals about buying replacement parts.

Still, despite the scramble, not everyone may be disappointed with the expanded recall.

Consumer advocate Gillis predicted dealers would see a 'gold mine” with increased visits to their repair bays and a possible boost in new car sales as a result.