Many of the major players in the automotive industry have convened in Detroit to initiate a cross-company investigation into the alleged Takata airbag problems.

Representatives from at least seven major auto manufacturers convened in the Motor City to discuss the ongoing issues with Takata airbags. While many of the details of the meetings have been kept confidential, representatives from BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Subaru met on Dec. 10 at a hotel in suburban Detroit.

The meeting convened to discuss how to select a third-party engineering firm to investigate the ongoing issues with Takata airbags, which are used across various makers in the automotive industry, potentially making the possibility of exploding airbags an industry-wide crisis.

The allegations regarding Takata airbags allege that the airbags can overinflate and explode, causing injury, and even death. It is known that Takata switched from older inflation agents to a compound known as ammonium nitrate. This actually costs more than the chemical used in older airbags, but allowed Takata to make smaller, more lightweight airbags.

However, it may have made the airbags inflate too powerfully, causing parts of the airbag casing to essentially become shrapnel in the event of a car accident. Five deaths have allegedly been linked to the Takata airbag problems.

Honda in particular has been at the epicenter of the Takata exploding airbag scandal. Of the more than 13 million vehicles recalled in the United States, 8.7 million have been Hondas.

Additionally, it has been alleged that Honda was aware of the problem long before the recalls, and may have even sent Honda employees to investigate a Takata manufacturing plant in Mexico — and did not react to knowledge of the problem immediately.

Worldwide, more than 20 million vehicles have been recalled over the alleged Takata airbag explosions. Takata sold airbags to more than a half-dozen major auto manufacturers. More than half of these recalls have been in the United States.

The Takata airbag complications have triggered Senate hearings, as well as an investigation from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Additionally, Takata airbag lawsuits have been filed against Honda and Takata, alleging that the companies were aware of the problem, but did not act quickly, leading to injuries and deaths from exploding airbags.