MIAMI -- Nissan Motor Co. would pay $97.68 million under a proposed settlement with vehicle owners affected by the Takata air bag recalls.

The settlement would pay for a new outreach program to ensure Takata air bags are removed from 4.4 million affected Nissan vehicles. It would also compensate owners for expenses while getting their cars fixed, including rental cars.

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Takata's air bag inflators can explode with too much force, hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers. The inflators are blamed for at least 16 deaths and 180 injuries worldwide.

The problem touched off the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.

The Nissan settlement is similar to those reached in May with Toyota, BMW, Mazda and Subaru.

The settlement was filed Tuesday in federal court in Miami. It still needs a judge's approval.

-- Takata Recall Timeline --

(Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  • In November 2008, Honda issued the first recall for Takata driver side inflators with improperly manufactured propellant wafers. Due to manufacturing errors, these inflators can rupture when activated. Ongoing rupture incidents and further investigation led Honda to expand these recalls in 2009, 2010 and 2011. These recalls eventually encompass 2.5 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the 2001 through 2004 model years.
  • In April 2013, Takata filed a defect report stating that certain passenger side airbag modules may rupture as a result of manufacturing errors that are aggravated by exposure to hot and humid environments.
  • In June 2014, NHTSA asked several manufacturers to recall vehicles with Takata airbags in hot and humid regions because of airbag ruptures observed in Florida and Puerto Rico.
  • In May 2015, after pressure from NHTSA and based on the results of testing, Takata determined that a defect may exist in some of its air bag inflators, leading to nationwide recalls of approximately 22 million inflators and the first Takata Consent Order.
  • In June 2015, NHTSA commenced a Coordinated Remedy Program Proceeding to consider whether it should use its accelerated remedy authority in connection with the Takata air bag inflator recalls. The Proceeding included public comment, meetings with affected vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, review of voluminous data and information produced by manufacturers and suppliers, and a public meeting in October, 2015.
  • On Oct. 22, 2015, NHTSA held a public information meeting to provide accurate information on the challenges presented by the Takata inflator recalls and the cause of the inflator ruptures, as understood at that time.
  • On Nov. 3, 2015, NHTSA issued two orders: o The Coordinated Remedy Order established a coordinated remedy recall program, an approach that prioritizes the remedy based on risk. It also provided timelines by which the vehicle manufacturers must have a sufficient supply of remedy parts, and a deadline by which they must complete the remedy programs. o The Consent Order prohibited Takata from entering into any new contracts for the supply of any PSAN inflator. It also provided a schedule by which Takata must phase out of the production of non-desiccated PSAN inflators, and a schedule by which Takata must either (i) prove that its unrecalled PSAN inflators are safe; or (ii) recall those inflators. The Consent Order also provided that NHTSA may order Takata to submit a DIR sooner if necessary.
  • In Dec. 2015, NHTSA appointed John Buretta as the Independent Monitor. His role is to assist NHTSA in overseeing and assessing Takata’s compliance with the two Consent Orders, and to oversee the implementation of the Coordinated Remedy Order. Rev. 12/9/2016
  • In Dec. 2015 and Jan. 2016, NHTSA required Takata expand the recalls based upon new information concerning test failures and field incidents; the Agency was able to do this because of the November Consent Order. These expansions led to the recall of an additional 5 million inflators.
  • By March 31, 2016, the Coordinated Remedy Order required that all affected vehicle manufacturers have a sufficient supply of remedy parts to begin remedying vehicles in Priority Group 1. Vehicles in that Group are at greatest risk of experiencing an inflator rupture.
  • On May 4, 2016, NHTSA announced a further recall expansion, agreed to by Takata, based upon new scientific data provided by three independent testing groups and reviewed by NHTSA and its expert. This expansion covers an estimated 35-40 million inflators and provides a clear schedule for the recall of all remaining Takata frontal inflators that contain non-desiccated PSAN propellant, including like-for-like replacements, by Dec. 31, 2019.
  • On June 30, 2016, NHTSA announced new testing data that shows a particularly high risk on a particular subset of the recalled Takata air bag inflators. The data shows that inflators in certain 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles have a far higher risk of rupture during air bag deployment. These inflators are responsible for nine of the 11 U.S. fatalities. NHTSA engaged in an aggressive communications campaign to raise awareness of this issue to encourage affected vehicle owners to have these cars fixed immediately.
  • By Sept. 30, 2016, the Coordinated Remedy Order required that all affected vehicle manufacturers have a sufficient supply of remedy parts to begin remedying vehicles in Priority Group 2.
  • On Dec. 9, 2016, NHTSA amended the Coordinated Remedy Order to account for the recall expansions since November 2015. The Coordinated Remedy Program also sets new requirements for automakers to certify to NHTSA when they have obtained a sufficient supply of replacement parts to begin repairs, and requires automakers to coordinate consumer messaging using best practices identified by NHTSA, industry and the Independent Monitor of Takata and the Coordinated Remedy Program.