Takata Massive Airbag Recall Intensifies
We have already covered the massive recall caused by the defective airbags manufactured by Takata, but it seems the problem is even worse than we initially thought. This morning, General Motors (which has installed Takata airbags in the 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe and Saab 9-2X) sent warning letters to the owners of affected vehicles, asking them not to let anyone ride in the front passenger seat until the airbags are replaced.
GM is far from the only manufacturer with this problem: 14 manufacturers had contracts with Takata to supply airbags, including BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota.
- Also: A Huge Cross-Brand Recall over Third-Party Airbags
- Also: Developments In The Takata Controversy
Under certain conditions, the inflator may be defective, and may over-inflate the airbag and break the deployment mechanism, sending metal shrapnel into the face of the occupants. This can be deadly to a vehicle's passengers (a Florida woman was found dead in her car after a head-on crash. Since she had deep cuts on her neck, the police first assumed she was murdered, before determining that metal parts flew out of her airbags and killed her).
Manufacturers are concentrating their efforts on the southern United States, as it seems as though high humidity is the leading cause of the airbag failures. We (Canada) are currently not touched, but there is no doubt that owners of cars equipped with Takata airbags would be reassured if the parts were changed as soon as possible.
Here is a list of all affected vehicles:
BMW: 627,615 potentially affected vehicles
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible
Chrysler: 371,309 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen
Ford: 58,669 potentially affected vehicles
2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2007 Mustang
General Motors: undetermined number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
2005 – Saab 9-2X
Honda: 5,051,364 potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord
2001 – 2002 Honda Accord
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element23
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
2005 – Acura RL
Nissan: 694,626 potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2003 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2003 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – Infiniti FX
Mazda: 64,872 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series Truck
Mitsubishi: 11,985 potentially affected vehicles
2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider
Nissan: 694,626 potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
Subaru: 17,516 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback
2004 – 2005 Impreza
Toyota : 877,000 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra