THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AIRBAG RECALLS

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AIRBAG RECALLS

The Takata airbag recall continues to widen. But, with the recalls dating back 2014, some drivers may not be listening to the warnings as closely as they should. Here’s what you need to know.

The Danger

The danger is that in a crash the airbag can deploy too violently and spew metal fragments from the inflator on passengers and the driver. Nearly a dozen deaths have been linked to the faulty airbags and more than 100 have been injured from them.

The Replacements

Complicating matters, some of the airbag replacements have been found to be replaced with another round of defective airbag parts, according to Takata. Still, official recommendation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges drivers to get their airbags fixed, citing that the new potentially defective airbag is less dangerous than those in the initial rounds of recalls.

The latest information released on April 14th,:

NHTSA stated that there are 85 million Takata airbag inflators in the United States that haven’t been recalled at this point. Of that 85 million, 43.4 million are passenger-side inflators, 26.9 million are for side airbags, and 14.5 million are installed in steering wheels. Takata “has until 2019 to demonstrate that all of the unrecalled airbag inflators are safe,” according to Automotive News,which counts 28.8 million airbags as being recalled at this point.

Is your car involved in the recalls?

You should have received a recall notice from the manufacturer of your car about the potentially dangerous airbags. Until you receive this, visit this website and type in your vehicle identification number (VIN) to determine if your car has had recalled Takata airbags installed in it. You can find the VIN near the base of the windshield or on your vehicle registration. To date, the recalls have been identified with cars older than 2011, according to the NHTSA. Lastly, the rate at which Takata is able to manufacture new safe inflators is resulting in lengthy delays for repairs. Auto experts suggest checking with your auto dealer to see the status and to get on a priority or wait list.