Takata expands recall to all cars with suspect airbags
The Department of Transportation says it pushed the Japanese airbag manufacturer to replace all passenger-side airbags, even outside the South.
Last year's Takata airbag recall, initially limited to especially hot and humid areas and then nationally to driver's-side airbags, now covers all U.S. cars that include the suspect safety devices, which can injure or kill people when their inflators break apart as they are triggered.
The Department of Transportation said that Secretary Anthony Foxx "announced that at the Department's insistence, air bag manufacturer Takata has acknowledged that a defect exists in its air bag inflators. Takata has agreed to a national recall of certain types of driver and passenger side air bag inflators. These inflators were made with a propellant that can degrade over time and has led to ruptures that have been blamed for six deaths worldwide. The action expands the number of vehicles to be recalled for defective Takata inflators to nearly 34 million."
The agency said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would begin a process "to organize and prioritize the replacement of defective Takata inflators." Under a consent order, Takata has agreed "to cooperate in all future regulatory actions that NHTSA undertakes in its ongoing investigation and oversight of Takata," the DOT said. More information is available at this DOT website.
As I wrote here last year, the initial recall - which covered just 8 million vehicles - had left many drivers confused and worried.
The DOT's statement continued:
"Today is a major step forward for public safety," Secretary Foxx said. "The Department of Transportation is taking the proactive steps necessary to ensure that defective inflators are replaced with safe ones as quickly as possible, and that the highest risks are addressed first. We will not stop our work until every air bag is replaced."
The actions expand regional recalls of Takata passenger-side inflators, currently limited to areas of high absolute humidity, to nationwide recalls involving more than 16 million vehicles. They also expand the current nationwide recall of driver-side inflators to more than 17 million vehicles. It's anticipated that the remedy of vehicles will be prioritized based upon risk, with the vehicles that present the greatest risk in terms of age and geographic location to be serviced first.
"From the very beginning, our goal has been simple: a safe air bag in every vehicle," said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. "The steps we're taking today represent significant progress toward that goal. We all know that there is more work to do, for NHTSA, for the auto makers, for parts suppliers, and for consumers. But we are determined to get to our goal as rapidly as possible."
The Department has established a new website, www.SaferCar.gov/RecallsSpotlight, to provide regular updates on the status of this and other recalls and of NHTSA's investigation.
The DOT action drew quick praise from Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat who has pushed for stronger action on the airbag defect.
"Folks shouldn’t have to drive around wondering if their airbag is going to explode in their face or if their car is going to be on another recall list,” Nelson, ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a statement. “We’ve seen the recall list double now to 30 million cars. Let’s hope Takata’s admissions today tells us the whole story.
"But Floridians, especially, have reason to be worried because the evidence is that these airbags explode in more humid climates. This needs to get fixed pronto."