GM Recalling 7 Million Vehicles Worldwide Over Takata Airbags

General Motors will be recalling about 7 million vehicles worldwide to replace the Takata airbag inflators. That’s right, the Takata airbags are STILL causing problems.

The announcement was made earlier today after the U.S. government told GM it had to recall 6 million of the vehicles in the U.S. alone.

Although GM believes most of the vehicles are safe to drive, the automaker says it will not fight the decision that will cost the company an estimated $1.2 billion. That’s about one-third of its net income so far this year.

Since 2016, GM has petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration four times to avoid recalls, arguing the airbag inflator canisters have been safe on the road and in testing. However, the agency denied the petitions, saying there is still a risk.

The faulty Takata inflators have caused the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with at least 63 million inflators recalled. As of September, it’s reported that more than 11.1 million had not been fixed.

The reason behind the faulty airbags is that Takata used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion in order to fill airbags in a crash. However, the chemical can deteriorate in heat and humidity and can explode with too much pressure. As of now, 27 people have been killed worldwide by the exploding inflators.

If you’re tired of hearing news on the Takata recall, this decision by NHTSA is a big step towards drawing the whole ordeal to a close. With this decision, all Takata ammonium nitrate inflators in the U.S. will be replaced.

GM will recall all full-size pickup trucks and SUVs from the 2007 through 2014 model years, including the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500. Also included are the Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe and Avalanche, the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, and 3500, and the GMC Yukon.

GM has 30 days to give NHTSA a rough schedule for notifying vehicle owners and starting the recall.