A record 34 million vehicles made by 10 different automakers have been recalled to replace front airbags on the driver’s or passenger’s side, or both. The airbags involved in the recall were made by Takata, a major parts supplier to automobile companies worldwide. Some of the airbags supplied by Takata have been found to deploy explosively, causing injury and even death to car occupants.
Most of the defective airbags were installed in cars from Model Years 2002 through 2008, however some models continued to use the airbags as late as 2014. The make and model of autos with potentially defective Takata airbags include:
BMW: 627,615 vehicles
2000-05 3-series sedan
2000-06 3-series coupe
2000-05 3-series sports wagon
2000-06 3-series convertible
2001-06 M3 coupe
2001-06 M3 convertible
Chrysler: 371,309 vehicles
2003-08 Dodge Ram 1500
2005-08 Dodge Ram 2500
2006-08 Dodge Ram 3500
2006-08 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 Dodge Ram 5500
2005-08 Dodge Durango
2005-08 Dodge Dakota
2005-08 Chrysler 300
2007-08 Chrysler Aspen
Ford: 58,669 vehicles
2004 Ranger
2005-06 GT
2005-07 Mustang
General Motors: Undetermined total number vehicles
2003-05 Pontiac Vibe
2005 Saab 9-2X
Honda: 5,051,364 vehicles
2001-07 Honda Accord
2001-05 Honda Civic
2002-06 Honda CR-V
2003-11 Honda Element
2002-04 Honda Odyssey
2003-08 Honda Pilot
2006 Honda Ridgeline
2003-06 Acura MDX
2002-03 Acura TL/CL
2005 Acura RL
Nissan: 694,626 vehicles
2001-03 Nissan Maxima
2001-04 Nissan Pathfinder
2002-04 Nissan Sentra
2001-04 Infiniti I30/I35
2002-03 Infiniti QX4
2003-05 Infiniti FX
Mazda: 64,872 vehicles
2003-07 Mazda6
2006-07 MazdaSpeed6
2004-08 Mazda RX-8
2004-05 MPV
2004 B-series truck
Mitsubishi: 11,985 vehicles
2004-05 Lancer
2006-07 Raider
Subaru: 17,516 vehicles
2003-05 Baja
2003-05 Legacy
2003-05 Outback
2003-05 Baja
2004-05 Impreza
Toyota: 877,000 vehicles
2002-05 Lexus SC
2002-05 Toyota Corolla
2003-05 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002-05 Toyota Sequoia
2003-05 Toyota Tundra
To date, eight fatalities – all in Honda vehicles – and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the defective Takata airbags. In many cases the incidents involved metal shards penetrating a driver’s face and neck. The company is under congressional investigation and recently announced that the recall was being extended globally to include an additional 3.2 million cars.
It is important that owners who suspect their car may have defective airbags to check if their car is affected. This warning is especially urgent in Arizona since it is believed that exposure to high heat will only accelerate the dangers posed by these defective airbags.
The easiest way to check a car’s airbags is to call a franchised dealer or look to the ownership sections on manufacturers’ websites for recall information. Owners can also use their vehicle identification number, VIN, and enter it into the NHTSA’s online VIN-lookup tool. The NHTSA website also has a list of vehicles affected by the recalls for quick review.
If you or someone close to you has been injured as a result of a defective airbag, please call me for a free consultation.