US tells GM to recall nearly 6M trucks with Takata inflators

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. is making General Motors recall and repair nearly 6 million big pickup trucks and SUVs equipped with potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators.

The move announced Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will cost the automaker an estimated $1.2 billion. GM says it will not fight the recall. The company had petitioned the agency four times starting in 2016 to avoid a recall, contending the inflators are safe.

Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to fill air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate and explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and spewing shrapnel.

Twenty-seven people have been killed worldwide by the exploding inflators.