Emergency airbag recall updated to 7.8M vehicles

• 10 years ago

MEDIA RELEASE

AAA Hawaii is alerting local motorists that government regulators have increased the numbers of recalled vehicles due to defective airbags from the previously announced list on Monday, Oct. 20.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has increased the number of vehicles and modified the vehicle list in its urgent notice to consumers of certain models of BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. The agency says it is urging consumers to immediately address recall notices to replace the Takata airbags equipped on their vehicles because they are defective.

U.S. geographic areas of special concern for these vehicles include Hawaii because the islands’ high humidity can make a dangerous airbag rupture more likely. The airbags have metal components called inflators that can break apart when the bags go off in a crash, sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment that can injure or kill, according to NHTSA. The agency is looking at airbags industrywide that fail or deploy with too much force and have been potentially linked to four deaths.

Toyota added more vehicles into its recent airbag recalls and has advised American owners of the affected cars to seat passengers in the back until the recall repairs are completed, according to news reports. Many of the cars from the other manufacturers have already been recalled but many of them have not been repaired.

“The NHTSA list now covers 7.8 million affected U.S. vehicles, with certain models from 2000 to 2008 noted by their urgent consumer advisory,” said the Automobile Club of Southern California Automotive Research Center Chief Automotive Engineer Steve Mazor, which also provides technical expertise to AAA Hawaii. “If there’s a safety recall of your vehicle, contact your local dealer and have the repair completed as soon as possible. You should also keep a copy of the work for your repair records.”

If drivers are unsure whether their vehicle is impacted by the Takata recalls or any other vehicle recalls, they can visit www.safercar.gov/vinlookup. On this website, consumers can search by their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), the unique federally-registered number of their car or truck, to determine if their vehicle has a recall that needs to be addressed. In addition, through this link, drivers can sign up for NHTSA recall alerts.

The recall alerts are distributed before recall letters, which have distinctive labeling, and are mailed to affected consumers.

The new recall label letters say “Important Safety Recall Information” in red and black, along with the phrase “Issued in Accordance with Federal Law,” and U.S. Dept. of Transportation and NHTSA logos, said Mazor.

7.8 Million Affected U.S. Vehicles, by Manufacturer, Impacted by CY 2013 and 2014 Recalls Involving Takata Airbags

Note: Numbers cited for potentially affected vehicles below are subject to change, says NHTSA, as manufacturers continue to add VINs to the database.

BMW: 627,615 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

Chrysler: 371,309 potentially affected vehicles

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

Ford: 58,669 potentially affected vehicles

• 2004 – Ranger
• 2005 – 2006 GT
• 2005 – 2007 Mustang

General Motors: undetermined potentially affected vehicles

• 2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
• 2005 – Saab 9-2X

Honda: 5,051,364 potentially affected vehicles

• 2001 – 2007 Honda Accord)
• 2001 – 2002 Honda Accord
• 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
• 2005 – Acura RL

Mazda: 64,872 potentially affected vehicles

• 2003 – 2007 Mazda6
• 2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
• 2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
• 2004 – 2005 MPV
• 2004 – B-Series Truck

Mitsubishi: 11,985 potentially affected vehicles

• 2004 – 2005 Lancer
• 2006 – 2007 Raider

Nissan: 694,626 potentially affected vehicles

• 2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
• 2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
• 2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
• 2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
• 2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
• 2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45

Subaru: 17,516 potentially affected vehicles

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

Toyota: 877,000 potentially affected vehicles

• 2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
• 2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
• 2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
• 2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
• 2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra