Detroit, Nov 23 (AP) The US is making General Motors recall and repair nearly 6 million big pickup trucks and SUVs equipped with potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators.

The decision announced Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will cost the automaker an estimated USD 1.2 billion, about one third of its net income this year.

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GM had petitioned the agency four times starting in 2016 to avoid a recall, contending the air bag inflator canisters have been safe on the road and in testing. But owners responded by accusing the company of putting profits over safety.

Takata used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to fill air bags in a crash.

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But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to heat and humidity 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 including 18 in the US.

It took the agency more than four years to arrive at its decision, which comes toward the end of President Donald Trump's four-year term.

Twenty-seven people, including 18 in the US, have been killed and hundreds injured by Takata inflators worldwide.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)