U.S. tells General Motors to recall nearly 6 million trucks over Takata airbag issue

DETROIT - The U.S. is making General Motors recall and repair nearly 6 million big pickup trucks and SUVs equipped with potentially dangerous Takata airbag inflators.

The move announced Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will cost the automaker an estimated $1.2 billion.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES - 2019/07/31: The General Motors world headquarters office is seen at Detroit's Renaissance Center. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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 airbags 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.