WASHINGTON: US safety regulators pushed Tuesday for a nationwide recall of cars with defective Takata air bags, increasing the pressure on both the Japanese firm and automakers ahead of a Senate hearing into the deadly problem.
An earlier recall limited to several mostly southern US states needed to be expanded to the full country, said David Friedman, deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
"We now know that millions of vehicles must be recalled to address defective Takata air bags and our aggressive investigation is far from over," said Friedman.
"We're pushing Takata and all affected manufacturers to issue the recall and to ensure the recalls capture the full scope of the problems."
The agency warned that if Takata and the manufacturers do not quickly make the recall voluntarily, it will use its powers to force one.
One month ago the NHTSA issued a warning over 7.8 million cars in the United States with the air bags.
On Tuesday it also ordered Takata -- subject of a US criminal investigation into its exploding air bags -- to provide documents and other detailed information on the propellant used in its air bag inflators.
"In recent days, Takata has publicly conceded that it changed the chemical mix of its air bag inflator propellant in newly designed inflators," the NHTSA said.
"As part of its ongoing investigation, the agency will analyze the information received to determine if the chemical composition of Takata's propellant mix may be a cause and/or contributing factor in the air bag inflator ruptures."
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