Thousands of Irish motorists may be driving around with “time-bomb” airbags made by Takata, a company whose inflation mechanism was deemed responsible for the deaths and maiming of dozens of people worldwide.

Japan’s Takata, at the centre of the auto industry’s biggest-ever product recall, filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Japan, and said it had agreed to be largely acquired for $1.6bn (€1.42bn) by the Chinese-owned US-based Key Safety Systems (KSS).

Honda is recalling around 824 vehicles in Ireland over concerns about faulty airbags made by Takata.

The dubious honour of the largest consumer recall in US history — which was once held by Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol drug — now belongs to the Japanese car-parts supplier, Takata.