Toyota Motor Corp to buy millions of air-bag inflators from Takata rival

In a bid to cut its risk from potentially lethal air-bag inflators supplied by Takata Corp, Toyota Motor Corp now plans to buy airbags in millions from smaller parts maker Nippon Kayaku Co, according to people familiar with the matter, Reuters reported.

The Japanese carmaker asked the second-tier supplier last month to ratchet up production so that it could supply Toyota with over 13 million inflators from next July until 2020, a person with direct knowledge of the deal and a second individual who was briefed on it said.

Takata air-bag inflators had been linked to eight deaths and over 100 injuries after exploding with excessive force, spraying shrapnel inside vehicles.

The cost or recalls is being borne by automakers while the root cause was being investigated.

Takata, the company whose faulty air bags are behind a record vehicle safety recall, is depending on three of its key competitors to make millions of replacement parts, Bloomberg reported. (See: Takata to depend on three key competitors for replacement parts supply).