General Motors Co (GM.N) is recalling about 375,000 heavy duty pickup trucks equipped with passenger-side air bag inflators made by Takata Corp (7312.T), the U.S. automaker said. The trucks are 2007 and 2008 model Chevrolet Silverados and GM Sierras. Subaru will expand its recall of 2004 and 2005 model Impreza compact cars with Takata air bags to about 80,000 from 20,000, the unit of Japan-based Fuji Heavy Industries (7270.T) also said on Friday. Both companies said they have received no reports of inadvertent deployments of air bags in the vehicles. The latest actions follow an agreement last week between Takata and U.S. safety regulators to expand the recalls of vehicles with potentially faulty Takata air bag inflators. The inflators have exploded with too much force, sending shrapnel into the vehicles. Six people have been killed, all of them in Honda Motor Co (7267.T) cars. Twelve incorrect deployments of Takata air bags have occurred in Toyota and Honda vehicles in Japan since 2011, Nikkei reported on Friday, citing a Japanese transport ministry official. No injuries were reported in these incidents. Takata air bags have been the subject of U.S. Congressional hearings held late last year. Another hearing, before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, will be held next Tuesday. On Thursday, five automakers expanded recalls by several million vehicles with Takata air bags. No root cause for the defect has been found. Takata managers want the automakers to share some of the blame for the malfunctioning air bags, sources told Reuters this week, as well as some of the financial burden. Source: Reuters
