Takata's survival gets harder due to Malaysian deaths, expanded recall in U.S.

Two additional deaths in Malaysia were linked to ruptured air bag inflators made by Takata Corp., further damaging the reputation of the Japanese supplier as it works to comply with a U.S. order to expand a record recall. Two fatal Honda car crashes in Malaysia, one on April 16 and the other just last Monday, involved ruptured driver-side air bag inflators made by Takata, according to a statement by Honda Motor Co. The air bags had not been replaced though the two vehicles were included in recalls announced by the authorities, the automaker said. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday ordered Takata to replace as many as 40 million additional air bags in the U.S., more than doubling what has been announced. At least 13 deaths are now linked to the malfunctioning devices, underscoring the scale of the crisis confronting President Shigehisa Takada, who has seen his family company's market value plunge by 75 percent over the past year.