TOKYO • Nissan Motor said yesterday that it will not use airbag inflators made by Japanese auto parts supplier Takata in its cars.

Nissan thus joined other major automakers, including Toyota Motor and Honda Motor, that decided to stop using Takata's inflators, which have led to vehicle recalls around the world.

"We have decided to no longer use (Takata's) inflators containing ammonium nitrate in airbags for future models," Nissan said in a statement. "We will continue to put our customers' safety first and work to replace the inflators in vehicles under recall as quickly as possible."

United States auto safety regulators have said Takata's inflators containing ammonium nitrate may cause airbags to explode with excessive force, spraying shrapnel in the vehicle. More than 30 million cars have been recalled worldwide since 2008 over the Takata inflators.

Defective inflators have been linked to eight deaths and more than 100 injuries.

Nissan had said last week that it would carry out a repeat inspection of vehicles in Japan which had initially been cleared of airbag defects after a passenger was injured when her Takata airbag deployed during a collision.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda said at a news conference on Friday: "Going forward, we will not use Takata airbag components that use ammonium nitrate."

He was referring to a propellant in the inflators that some specialists say can destabilise and, in extreme cases, cause the device to explode and send metal fragments shooting into the vehicle.

REUTERS, NEW YORK TIMES