Automakers could face further liabilities following the announcement of further Takata air bag inflator recalls.
According to a report by Reuters, regulators in the US gave the ailing airbag company until the end of 2019 to prove that is replacement airbag inflators were also safe.
Should Takata fail future safety tests, the close to 100 million inflators which are currently being installed, may also need to be recalled.
The failure of this workaround could see automakers who have existing contracts with the manufacturer once again liable for the costs of replacement.
A large sum of the $10 billion USD bill has already been passed on to automakers following initial recalls.
While companies such as Honda, Toyota and Nissan have stated they will no longer use Takata airbags on new models, some manufacturers will still opt to use replacement inflators in the recall.
Takata is the only global air bag maker to use ammonium nitrate as a propellant in its inflators. The compound is susceptible to high temperatures, as well as moisture, which can lead to shrapnel explosions.
17 deaths, mainly in the US, have been linked to the defective inflators.