Takata Airbag Recall Guide

[Editor’s note: This information is updated regularly using data from the NHTSA website.]

Updated data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (in the chart below) shows that as of August 3, 2018, out of roughly 41.9 million air bags, 60% have been replaced with 40% to go. That’s a 2% difference since the June 3 reporting date. In all, the recall includes about 50 million inflators, so not all are included in this count.

[UPDATED September 2018] In September, Honda accelerated its expansion of an additional 1.4 million and 57,000 recalled vehicles after reporting a 77.7 repair completion rate on existing recalled models.

Credit: NHTSA

In July, Nissan accelerated its recalls and Mazda recalled certain vehicles again. In February, Ford and Mazda expanded their ‘do not drive warning’ to include additional 2006 Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series trucks with defective Takata airbags based on new testing.

NHTSA Timeline:

July 18, 2018: A just-released government audit into the NHTSA’s handling of the Takata recall attributes 15 deaths and more than 220 injuries in the U.S. to the faulty airbags that can explode due to the breakdown of a chemical propellant. The report also faults the NHTSA for a lack of oversight into its recall processes.

July 13, 2018: NHTSA urged automakers to speed up their completion rates and post their repair updates on their websites.

June 7, 2018: The NHTSA urged South Florida drivers to check their vehicle VIN numbers to see if their vehicle is under recall. The region is a high-risk area due to heat and humidity. Those are two factors that can cause the airbags chemical propellant to break down and cause an explosion when the inflator is deployed.

May 7, 2018: NHTSA issued a second public plea for owners to stop driving at-risk 2006 Ford Rangers and Mazda B-Series Trucks.

What Drivers Should Do

NHSTA urges all drivers to stay informed and safe by taking the following five actions:

1. Visit NHTSA.gov/recalls to find out if your car or truck is under recall. Search using your VIN. Your search result will tell you if your car or truck is included in this or any other safety recall at this time. Vehicles scheduled for future recalls will not show up in this search, so it is important that you check regularly, at least twice per year.
2. If your vehicle does have a recall, call your local dealer to schedule the free repair. Just remember that in the Takata air bag recalls, there are priority groups; parts are only available for certain vehicles starting on certain dates.
3. Sign up at NHTSA.gov/Alerts to be notified by e-mail if your vehicle is affected by a future recall.
4. Get answers to frequently asked questions at NHTSA.gov/takata.
5. Help spread the word: share NHTSA’s consumer fact sheet and video with friends and family.

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