Still dangerous after all these years: 225,000 vehicles get ‘Do Not Drive’ warning for Takata airbags
The 10 states with the most registered vehicles carrying unrepaired Takata air bags. Carfax said its data shows more than 5 million vehicles nationwide are equipped with the potentially deadly airbags. Image courtesy of Carfax.
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Remember the exploding Takata airbags?
While they might seem like old news, Carfax offered a reminder that they’re still a thing, with some 5 million vehicles carrying them currently on the road.
This week, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles addressed about 225,000 of those cars, issuing a “Do Not Drive” warning for all of its vehicles with an unrepaired Takata airbag recall, a development Carfax said “underscores the urgency for owners to check their recall status immediately.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the first recall of Takata airbags came from Honda in 2008 after defective inflators in the airbags caused explosions when activated.
Since then, more than 67 million Takata air bags have been recalled in tens of millions of vehicles nationwide. NHTSA said 28 people have been killed and at least 400 injured in the U.S. from explosions caused by the faulty airbags.
Carfax said Texas has the most vehicles with unrepaired Takata airbags, with more than 660,000, followed by California (with more than half a million), Florida and Arizona.
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Before the FCA action, more than 630,000 vehicles in the U.S. were under a Do Not Drive order — not all of them Takata-related — according to CARFAX data. Do Not Drive recalls are issued when a defect can cause critical vehicle components to fail without warning, creating an immediate risk of serious injury or death.
In this case, long-term exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to rupture, sending metal fragments into the vehicle’s cabin.
Car owners should check their vehicles for open recalls through free tools such as NHTSA’s online lookup tool and SaferCar app, or Carfax’s recall check. Car owners can also sign up for recall alerts from NHTSA or Carfax.
Recalls can be repaired for free by the vehicle’s manufacturer at any of its dealerships.
“With major announcements like this one, all car owners should check their vehicles now to stay safe on the road,” Carfax vice president of data Faisal Hasan said. “Millions of unsafe cars have already been repaired thanks to partnerships with NHTSA and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, but many still remain.”
Coordinated efforts are helping raise awareness and reduce unrepaired recalls nationwide, including the Vehicle Recall Search Service a free tool built by Carfax in partnership with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
The Vehicle Recall Search Service allows qualified entities, such as state motor vehicle, public safety and inspection departments, to check vehicles for unrepaired recalls. Participating states and territories include California, Texas, New York, Ohio, Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, Washington and Puerto Rico.
