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Takata Recall Expansion - Help Spread the Word to Consumers

Topics: Takata

Takata Recall Expansion - Help Spread the Word to Consumers

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
11 May 2016

Takata Recall Expansion —

What Consumers Need to Know.

As part of NHTSA’s mission to help Americans drive, ride, and walk safely, the agency is expanding the recall of Takata air bag inflators to include an additional estimated 35-40 million inflators. This is in addition to the 28.8 million Takata inflators already under recall, more than a quarter of which have been repaired.

Vehicles included in this expanded recall are not yet searchable using the agency’s Recalls Lookup Tool. That information will be made available as soon as the automakers load that data into the system.

NHTSA is taking this action because there is new data that shows why these air bag inflators fail. NHTSA's goal is to ensure that Americans are safe in their vehicles. Failures of Takata air bag inflators have been tied to ten deaths and more than 100 injuries in the United States.

Here is what you, the consumer, need to know:

The Takata inflators do not pose an unreasonable risk to safety when they are installed in a new vehicle or for several years afterward.
Over time, the combined effect of moisture and heat cause the inflators to degrade—at varying rates in different conditions—to a point where they are no longer safe and should be replaced.
Not every Takata air bag is at risk of failure today. NHTSA’s actions are designed to make sure that air bag inflators are recalled and replaced before they ever become a risk to vehicle occupants.

In addition to distributing recall information, NHTSA is also making sure that vehicle owners get safe replacement inflators installed in their vehicles. Because replacement inflators need to be specifically engineered for each affected vehicle model, it will take time before all recalled inflators will be able to be replaced.

NHTSA is working with the industry to accelerate the production of replacement supplies and continuing to require vehicle manufacturers to prioritize the replacement of the riskiest vehicles.

What you can do now:

Regularly check SaferCar.gov for information about any open recall on your vehicle and what you can do to have it fixed free of charge.
Sign up for NHTSA’s Recall Alerts to receive e-mail notification if your vehicle is recalled.
Attend to recalls immediately. If you are notified that your vehicle is under recall and a remedy is available, contact your dealer to schedule a repair and get your vehicle fixed at no cost.

NHTSA will remain focused on the Takata recalls because the issue is so urgent. This spring, the United States had the tenth confirmed fatality due to a rupture of a recalled inflator. Recently, Honda announced that there have been two more fatalities in Malaysia due to ruptures of Takata air bag inflators. NHTSA will continue its vigilance to ensure that Americans are safe in their cars, but we need your help to get the information out to consumers. Forward, post, tweet, snap, or e-mail this message to your friends, family, and followers. Let’s get this information out to the public together.