U.S. opens probe into 30 million vehicles

U.S. auto safety investigators have opened a new probe into 30 million vehicles with potentially defective Takata air bag inflators.

That's according to a U.S. government document seen by Reuters on Sunday.

The new investigation includes vehicles assembled by Honda, Ford, Toyota, GM, Nissan, Tesla, BMW and other luxury brands, which did not respond or declined to comment.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday began an investigation into roughly 30 million U.S vehicles made from 2001 through to 2019 models.

Car companies have been alerted to the investigation, which has not yet been made public.

The vehicles that are part of the new investigation have inflators with a drying agent known as "desiccant."

According to NHTSA document seen by Reuters, there's no present safety risk identified with the drying agent, but, "Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators."

More than 67 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled in the U.S. over the last decade and more than 100 million worldwide in the industry's largest recall in history.

There have been at least 28 deaths worldwide, 19 in the U.S., and more than 400 injuries have been tied to faulty Takata inflators.

The NHTSA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.