Takata Air Bag Test Spurs New GM Recall

General Motors is recalling 395 2015 model-year Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Malibu and GMC Terrain vehicles so dealers can replace their front seat-mounted, side-impact air bag modules manufactured by Takata.

Takata on Oct. 6 notified GM that a side air bag inflator failed safety testing conducted at the Takata Monclova Mexico inflator plant the previous day, according to a GM report sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. During Takata’s testing, some of the inflator’s components burst apart when the air bag deployed. There was a release of high-pressure gas, and component fragments were propelled into the air.

Exploding Takata air bag inflators have been linked to at least eight deaths, seven of which occurred in the U.S. Takata air bag recalls have affected approximately 19 million vehicles in the U.S., according to NHTSA. Those vehicles were manufactured by 11 different automakers that used Takata as a supplier.

This month, GM immediately took steps to trace inflators from the same lot as the one that failed the test, the automaker said. The recall, set to begin Oct. 19, covers vehicles equipped with those air bag inflators.

After dealers replace the suspect inflators, the parts will be collected as evidence for an ongoing investigation, NHTSA said.

GM's number for this recall is 01320.