Takata Corporation, a global supplier of automotive safety systems, has agreed to recall nearly 34 million vehicles due to defective air bags, the largest
recall in automotive history. Certain types of driver and passenger side air bag inflators were made with a propellant that can degrade over time and has led to ruptures that have claimed 6 lives and caused over 100 injuries worldwide.
Takata entered into a
Consent Order with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) requiring the company to cooperate with all future regulatory actions that the NHTSA undertakes in its ongoing investigation of the company. Steps are being
taken to prioritize the replacement of defective inflators and it is believed that the remedy of vehicles will be based upon risk, with the vehicles that present the greatest risk to be serviced first.
Several tools have been issued to check which vehicles are recalled. The US Department of Transportation launched the SaferCar.gov
website to look up recall information by Vehicle Identification Number (“VIN”). The VIN can be found on several places in the vehicle including the driver-side doorjamb or doorpost,
or on the lower-left corner of the dashboard and on various documents such as the vehicle registration form or insurance identification cards. Consumers can also download the Safercar.gov mobile app and sign up for email alerts regarding the recalls.
Be aware that it can take automakers anywhere from a few days to several weeks to gather individual VIN information associated with a recall. It is important that you check back periodically as a recall on your vehicle may not show up immediately.
The following vehicle models and numbers were released May 28, 2015 by manufacturers and U.S. and Canadian safety regulators. The recalled vehicles include driver and passenger air bags.
— Honda Motor Co.: Adds 350,000 vehicles in U.S. including 2005 Civics and 2006-2007 Accords. No vehicles added in Canada, where 705,000 were recalled previously. Vehicles now covered include 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2002-2006 CR-V,
2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2002-2003 Acura TL, 2003 Acura CL, 2005 Acura RL.
— Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.: Adds about 2 million vehicles globally including U.S. Expansion brings total affected to 5.2 million globally. Models include 2003 Ram 1500/2500/3500, 2005-2009 Ram 2500 Pickup, 2004-2008 Ram 1500 Pickup,
2006-2009 Ram 3500 Pickup, 2007-2009 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500/5500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2009 Sterling 4500/5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2008 Dodge Durango, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300/300C/SRT8, 2005-2010 Dodge Charger/Magnum,
2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2006-2010 Mitsubishi Raider.
— BMW AG: Adds about 280,000 vehicles in U.S. including 2002-2005 325i/325xi/330i/330xi, 2002-2005 325xi/325i Sports Wagon, 2002-2006 330Ci/325Ci/M3 Convertible, 2002-2006 325i/330i/M3 Coupe, 2002-2003 M5/540i/525i/530i, 2002-2003 540i/525i
Sports Wagon, 2003-2004 X5 3.0i/4.4i Sports Activity Vehicle. U.S. total in recall is nearly 421,000.
— Ford Motor Co.: Adds nearly 967,000 vehicles to the recall, mainly in the U.S. and Canada, bringing total to just over 1.5 million. Models include 2005-2014 Mustang, 2005-2006 Ford GT, 2004-2006 Ford Rangers.
— Mitsubishi Motors North America: Expands passenger air bag recall from Gulf Coast to nationwide. Total is just under 83,000 vehicles. Models include recall to include 2004-2006 Lancer/Lancer Evolution and 2004 Lancer Sportback.
Eleven automakers have vehicles included in the Takata recall. Other companies include General Motors, Daimler Trucks, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. Nissan Motor Co. said it would not add U.S. vehicles in the latest recall expansion. Vehicles from other
automakers will be announced later.
More information regarding the recall can be found
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