Tens of millions of vehicles worldwide were recalled over the inflators, which can inflate too quickly and send metal fragments into vehicle interiors. At least ten people — including 9 in the U.S. — died in accidents as a result of the defect. Another option for addressing recall costs, Kyodo News reported, could be a merger with Daicel Corp., a Japanese chemical company that also makes airbag inflators. Ford this week recalled thousands of Ranger pickup trucks amid concerns over a different Takata inflator model, and U.S. regulators suggested that up to 5 million additional vehicles could be added to an existing recall. A Takata-commissioned investigation of the problems by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany is also expected to be released soon.