Consumer Reports weighs in on Air Bag Recall
Car and Driver Reports on Air Bag Recall
UPDATE 10/22/2015, 12:50 p.m.: In a public hearing today, NHTSA administrator
Mark Rosekind revealed more information about this massive recall situation. Nationwide,
only 22.5 percent of recalled vehicles have actually been fixed. It’s only slightly better in the
humid Gulf of Mexico region, where recalls have been completed in 29.5 percent of affected
vehicles even though airbag inflators in those locales are more likely to explode upon deployment.
Some inflators have been replaced with newer, but still at-risk, identical components.
Of the 115,000 removed inflators that Takata has tested, 450 have ruptured.
At NHTSA’s request, the 11 affected automakers conducted a risk assessment, which found
that six million total inflators in the United States “are in the highest-risk group that should
take top priority for replacement parts,” according to Automotive News, while roughly
11 million are in the middle-priority group and two million are least at risk. In general,
the older the vehicle and the more humid the environment, the higher the priority that
the airbag inflator(s) be replaced.
11/3/2015, 6:00 p.m.: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Mark Rosekind revealed more information about this massive recall situation. Nationwide,
only 22.5 percent of recalled vehicles have actually been fixed. It’s only slightly better in the
humid Gulf of Mexico region, where recalls have been completed in 29.5 percent of affected
vehicles even though airbag inflators in those locales are more likely to explode upon deployment.
Some inflators have been replaced with newer, but still at-risk, identical components.
Of the 115,000 removed inflators that Takata has tested, 450 have ruptured.
At NHTSA’s request, the 11 affected automakers conducted a risk assessment, which found
that six million total inflators in the United States “are in the highest-risk group that should
take top priority for replacement parts,” according to Automotive News, while roughly
11 million are in the middle-priority group and two million are least at risk. In general,
the older the vehicle and the more humid the environment, the higher the priority that
the airbag inflator(s) be replaced.
has issued Takata a record civil penalty of at least $70 million. The airbag supplier could
be responsible for paying NHTSA as much as $200 million total if further violations are
discovered. As part of the issuance, NHTSA has orderedthat Takata “phase out the
manufacture and sale of inflators that use phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate propellant.”
What is the U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration?
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