Q: How can I tell if my vehicle has been recalled for defective Takata air bag inflators?
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It takes years for the airbags to degrade to the point that they’re at risk of exploding, presumably depending on climate (the more humid, the quicker the degradation).
The automaker believed that its 2007-2011 trucks and SUVs “do not pose unreasonable safety risks at this time” based on the fact that there were no inflator ruptures during an estimated 44,000 crash deployments and analysis of parts returned from the field.
“The Takata passenger-side airbag inflators used in these trucks and SUVs are a variant engineered specifically for these GM vehicles, and include features such as greater venting, unique propellant wafer configurations and machined steel end caps”. Those inflators have been found to be the cause of airbag ruptures linked to as many as 13 deaths and 100 injuries worldwide.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disagreed with GM’s assessment, and GM issued today’s recall for Takata airbag inflators on the passenger-side of the recalled vehicles.
According to GM, it will continue to test and monitor the Takata inflators in its vehicles.
TrueCar’s president, Eric Lyman said: “Well, clearly, I think, all of the automakers are going to revisit their relationship with Takata over the long term”. The recall of those cars are among a doubling of the Takata air bag recall announced last month.
Automakers have acknowledged the inflators were the cause of 11 deaths – 10 in Honda vehicles and one in a Ford pickup – while two more deaths in Malaysia remain under investigation.
It says four major automakers – Fiat-Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volkswagen – have been, and are still installing defective airbags in new cars. Ford on Wednesday recalled 1.9 million additional vehicles for Takata inflators.
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The six automakers saying they’re recalling vehicles on Thursday (June 2) including GM, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz USA, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, and Daimler Vans.
