10 Years Later, Over 6 Million Vehicles Are Still On US Roads With Recalled Airbags

(NewsSpace.com) – Car manufacturers regularly issue recall notices when they notice an issue with a vehicle’s component that could put safety at risk. In 2014, manufacturers issued a massive recall for vehicles with Takata airbags, due to a problem with the inflator, which could explode upon impact, sending metal shrapnel into the vehicles. Yet, 10 years later, more than 6 million vehicles remain on the road with them.

Between late 2014 and 2015, several manufacturers, including Honda, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru, General Motors, Mitsubishi, and Toyota, all issued “do not drive” notices, flagging customers to a problem with their airbags. In addition to potentially exploding in a crash, a Carfax report noted that “extended exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to deploy far more explosively than expected.” The issue centers on a propellant that could break down when exposed, over long periods, to humidity and high-temperature fluctuations.

Most of the six-plus million vehicles still on the road with defective parts today are in the United States’ Zone A. This encompasses many southern states, including Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, US Samoa, and Guam also fall within this region.

The first incident was reported in 2009, and since then, more than two dozen people in the US alone have been killed by the defective airbags. Takata fell under a lot of controversy because the company allegedly knew about the potential issue long before any adverse reports were ever made.

Nearly 84,000 Nissan vehicles on the road still have the faulty devices. On Wednesday, May 29, the carmaker shared a press release issued by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, that highlighted two specific recall campaigns: 20V-747 and 20V-008 for Sentra, Pathfinder, and Infiniti QX4 models.

Vehicle owners can visit the Consumer Reports Takata Airbag Recall notice to see if their car is listed and how to proceed.