Takata to double replacement air bag inflator output by September

[February 11, 2015] DETROIT (Reuters) - Takata Corp said it plans over the next six months to double production of replacement air bag inflators needed for recalled cars in which the part could spray occupants with metal shards.

The Japanese air bag maker will boost output to 900,000 inflators a month by September, up from 450,000 now at its plant in Monclova, Mexico, a company spokesman said on Wednesday. He did not specify if the additional capacity would be added in Mexico.

Takata's air bag inflators have been found to explode with too much force, spraying metal fragment inside cars and have forced automakers to recall nearly 25 million vehicles worldwide since 2008. The component has been linked to six deaths, all in cars made by its top customer, Honda Motor Co Ltd. <7267.T>

Takata faces pressure from its automaker customers as well as U.S. safety officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. lawmakers to increase production of the replacement parts so consumers can replace the potential deadly parts as quickly as possible.

Automotive News reported news of the plans for the increased output on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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