Some 100 million vehicles with defective Takata air bags have been recalled around the world, the largest auto recall in history. The air bags have been linked to at least 13 deaths worldwide and more than 100 injuries.

Yet even now, four automakers — Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Volkswagen and Mitsubishi — are selling new cars that contain the faulty air bags. And Fiat Chrysler and Toyota have refused to disclose which models contain the devices.

This is completely unacceptable. At the very least, consumers need to be warned that their new cars will eventually have to be recalled for repairs, which is a huge inconvenience.

These faulty devices are still in use because Takata (which had about 22 percent of the air bag market last year) and other manufacturers are struggling to produce enough of the devices that inflate air bags to meet demand for both the recall and new cars.

The automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have said the air bags in new cars are safe, because only inflaters that have been exposed to moisture and abrupt temperature changes over a period of years could cause bags to explode. The faulty bags placed in new cars will be recalled by the end of 2018.

Some lawmakers say the safety agency should ban the sale of new cars with defective air bags. It is unclear whether the agency has the legal authority to do so. But it could demand that car companies inform consumers about which new cars have the risky air bag inflaters, so they can avoid buying one with a known defect.

It's a bizarre situation when a faulty device is knowingly put into new cars. This can't give consumers much confidence in this industry or its regulator.

FROM AN EDITORIAL IN THE NEW YORK TIMES