NHTSA Expands Faulty Airbag Warning to 7.8 Million Vehicles

***Latest Updates****

Many sources are misreporting on the following information regarding the recent airbag recall. Here are the facts, from Lauren Fix, The Car Coach.

• Removing an airbag is a federal offense – for a dealer to remove an airbag and send a car on its way until the replacement air bag has arrived is actually breaking federal law! You may recall that the Feds have nailed automotive customizers in the past for removing airbags and installing TV screens.

• Dealers won’t know – they’re following the instructions NHTSA gave them. In many states during state car inspections you must scrape off the inspection sticker first, then inspect the vehicle for safety violations before applying a new sticker. If an airbag doesn’t work or any other passive safety system fails then you don’t get an inspection sticker.

• Many consumers are unaware that there is supposed to be a minimum of 12 inches from the airbag to the center of their chest. This is the safest place to be. Again something drivers’ ed does not teach you!

• Passive safety systems such as airbags work in conjunction with seatbelts and windshields. Most people do not realize that the windshield is part of the vehicle’s passive safety systems – not only the safety glass but also the fact that the airbag actually bounces off the windshield to catch you at the impact.

• There are already four deaths and hundreds of injuries from airbags deploying and sending out shards of metal. Legal action is sure to follow.

• These airbags are deployed with no notice and tend to be more common in areas with high humidity or moisture in the air.

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NHTSA Set to Expand Unprecedented Airbag Recall Alert Covering Nearly 5 Mil Vehicles

• This is a very dangerous situation for drivers with these recalled cars.
• Consumers need to be aware that ALL vehicles with airbags must NOT sit closer than 12-inches from the center of the airbag; no matter what time you’re driving!
• I really don’t like that NHTSA is telling people that if they don’t have a replacement airbag, and that dealers will remove your airbags and drivers shouldn’t have passengers up front.  If they don’t have a replacement unit.
• Without an airbag, drivers put themselves at risk for a dangerous situation, because it puts drivers in a situation that presents a higher chance of injury or death in an accident.
• Passive safety features save lives!

Dealers should hold the cars and provide rental where needed.

Federal regulators are set to expand on an already unprecedented recall alert issued Monday to owners of nearly 5 million vehicles equipped with faulty Takata airbags. Regulators want to make sure owners don’t ignore recall warnings already issued by manufacturers.  Takata Forecasts Record $235 Million Loss on Air-Bag Recall, the net loss will probably be 24 billion yen ($235 million), the Tokyo-based company said.

Only about 70% of motorists typically fix vehicles that have been recalled, and that rate falls off on older models, such as those covered by the NHTSA announcement. The number of companies affected is expected to increase as well.

Today’s warning tells the owners to follow the terms of the recalls and take their vehicles to their dealer immediately. While the information is not new, it’s designed to provide clarity about the size and scope of the recalls that have occurred in the last 18 months.

Four deaths have been tied to the defective inflators, which can rupture without warning, spraying occupants with metal fragments. While 4.7 million vehicles have been recalled in the U.S., it is believed that about 12 million vehicles worldwide have been recalled because of the issue.

“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges owners of certain Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, and General Motors vehicles to act immediately on recall notices to replace defective Takata airbags,” the agency said in a release.

The message comes with urgency, especially for owners of vehicles affected by the regional recalls in the following areas: Florida, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Hawaii.”

While the issue has been tied to tropical climes, the issue is really tied to heat and humidity and can impact vehicles in other places such as Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana. However, the Center for Auto Safety suggests that any environment with high humidity poses a threat, including Washington D.C. and Portland, Oregon.

The watchdog group has been critical of NHTSA’s approach to the recalls of the vehicles, which had limited the scope to the recall to Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“The agreement relies on absolute humidity for which records are scanty and no data are provided by either NHTSA or Takata,” said Clarence Ditlow, the group’s executive director, in a statement from late July. “When it comes to a defect so deadly as an airbag inflator that kills like a shrapnel bomb, the public deserves more than a private nod from NHTSA to Takata just like the agency gave GM on the ignition switch defect.”

The manufacturers include:

Toyota: 778,177 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2002 – 2004 Lexus SC
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix
• 2002 – 2004 Toyota Sequoia
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Tundra
• 2003 – 2004 Pontiac Vibe

Honda: 2,803,214 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2001 – 2007 Honda Accord (4 cyl)
• 2001 – 2002 Honda Accord (6 cyl)
• 2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
• 2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
• 2003 – 2011 Honda Element
• 2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
• 2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
• 2006 – Honda Ridgeline
• 2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
• 2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL

Nissan: 437,712 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
• 2001 – 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
• 2002 – 2003 Nissan Sentra
• 2001 – 2003 Infiniti I30/I35
• 2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
• 2003 – Infiniti FX

Mazda: 18,050 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2003 – 2004 Mazda6
• 2004 – Mazda RX-8

BMW: 573,935 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
• 2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
• 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
• 2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
• 2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
• 2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible

General Motors: 133,221 total number potentially affected vehicles

• 2002 – 2003 Buick LeSabre
• 2002 – 2003 Buick Rendezvous
• 2002 – 2003 Cadillac DeVille
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Impala
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Venture
• 2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy
• 2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy XL
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette
• 2002 – 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
• 2002 – 2003 Pontiac Montana

Subaru: 17,516 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2003 – 2005 Baja
• 2003 – 2005 Legacy
• 2003 – 2005 Outback
• 2003 – 2005 Baja
• 2004 – 2005 Impreza

Mitsubishi: 11,985 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2004 – 2005 Lancer
• 2006 – 2007 Raider

Chrysler: 371,309 vehicles

• 2003-08 Dodge Ram 1500
• 2005-08 Dodge Ram 2500
• 2006-08 Dodge Ram 3500
• 2006-08 Dodge Ram 4500
• 2008 Dodge Ram 5500
• 2005-08 Dodge Durango
• 2005-08 Dodge Dakota
• 2005-08 Chrysler 300
• 2007-08 Chrysler Aspen

Ford : 58,669 vehicles

• 2004 Ranger
• 2005-06 GT
• 2005-07 Mustang