Feds seek to manage Takata air bag recall, speed up repairs

DETROIT (AP) - Exploding air bags made by Takata Corp. are so dangerous U.S. safety regulators want to manage a massive recall so cars can be fixed faster.

On Tuesday Takata doubled the size of its recall to 33.8 million air bags, making it the largest recall in U.S. history. The air bags can inflate with too much force, sending metal shrapnel into drivers and passengers. So far the problem has caused six deaths, including five in the U.S.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in paperwork posted Thursday, said the recall involving 11 manufacturers has created a patchwork of solutions that may not fix the problem quickly enough. The agency, for the first time in its history, has started the legal process asking for input on how it can control production, delivery and installation of replacement air bag inflators.

The agency wants to accelerate the recall process, which could take more than 2½ years to complete at the current pace of production of replacement parts. Takata said it has increased production to 500,000 inflators per month with plans to make up to 1 million monthly by September. So far it has manufactured about 3.8 million replacements.

NHTSA wants input from manufacturers on how it should order production of replacement parts from manufacturers other than Takata, how it should prioritize where the new parts should be sent first and whether the agency should schedule another recall of cars that have received replacements. Some of the replacement inflators are among those Takata declared defective on Tuesday.