NHTSA Demands Nationwide Recall for Faulty Air Bags
The federal government called for Japanese manufacturer Takata to order a national recall of vehicles equipped with its problematic airbags.
The announcement came from the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and expands upon a regional recall already in place. The earlier recall only applied to areas with high levels of humidity, including the Gulf Coast states, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
The problem lies with some driver’s side airbags that have inflators that can cause the airbag to explode when they activate, spraying shrapnel from the air bag’s casing into the cabin and causing serious harm to the driver and passengers.
So far, five deaths have been linked to the faulty air bags.
“By demanding this national recall, NHTSA has demonstrated once again that it will follow data and evidence to protect the lives of Americans on the road and to hold manufacturers accountable,’’ said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.
Additionally, NHTSA also ordered Takata and ten car manufacturers to issue a report detailing the “completed, ongoing, or planned testing of Takata inflators.’’
The ten automakers affected by the recall are BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota. A detailed list of affected models and model years is not yet available, but the NHTSA expects millions to affected.
“We now know that millions of vehicles must be recalled to address defective Takata air bags and our aggressive investigation is far from over,’’ said NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman in a statement. “We’re pushing Takata and all affected manufacturers to issue the recall and to ensure the recalls capture the full scope of the problems.’’
Takata and the auto manufacturers have until December 5 to respond to the order.
More than 14 million vehicles have been recalled since 2008 over Takata’s airbags.
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