Remember Toyota's recent supplemental safety recall of approximately 247,000 cars equipped with defective Takata Corporation airbags? As it happens, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that campaign is just the tip of the iceberg, an iceberg that numbers a whopping 4.7 million vehicles from various car brands fitted with those malfunctioning Takata airbag inflators.
To make a long story short, this airbag recall involves the previously mentioned population of cars, made between 2000 and 2007 and sold in the United States of America. The NHTSA recommends anyone that drives an older BMW, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Oldsmobile, Honda, Mazda, Nissan or Toyota car have to schedule a service visit as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the campaign is focused in particular to vehicles that were sold and predominantly used by their owners in southern, mostly humid regions such as Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and so on. Takata is aware of at least 139 reported injuries related to the sub-standard airbag inflators, some with fatal results due to metal shrapnel spat out during deployment.
With all that being said, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges affected vehicle owners to either make a quick pit stop to the nearest dealer or check the NHTSA's VIN lookup portal to find out if your ride needs to have its airbag inflator replaced.
2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2004 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2004 Toyota Tundra
2002 – 2003 Buick Rendezvous
2002 – 2003 Cadillac DeVille
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Impala
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Venture
2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy
2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy XL
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette
2002 – 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
2002 – 2003 Pontiac Montana
2003 – 2004 Pontiac Vibe
2001 – 2002 Honda Accord (6 cylinder)
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 - 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 - Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 - 2003 Acura TL/CL
2001 – 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2003 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2003 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 - Infiniti FX
2004 Mazda RX-8
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible
Furthermore, the campaign is focused in particular to vehicles that were sold and predominantly used by their owners in southern, mostly humid regions such as Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and so on. Takata is aware of at least 139 reported injuries related to the sub-standard airbag inflators, some with fatal results due to metal shrapnel spat out during deployment.
The Takata airbag saga started in April 2013, when 3.6 million cars from 6 automakers were recalled
In a very similar scenario to General Motors' ignition switch fiasco, a recent report claims that Takata and Honda were aware of the airbag inflator malfunctions since 2004, but both the OEM supplier and carmaker kept quiet and never informed the NHTSA about the problem. Yes, just like GM's case with the killer ignition switch, we have a sneakin' suspicion this mess-up had something to do with cost-cutting.With all that being said, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges affected vehicle owners to either make a quick pit stop to the nearest dealer or check the NHTSA's VIN lookup portal to find out if your ride needs to have its airbag inflator replaced.
The list below incorporates affected car brands and models:
Toyota & Lexus: 778,177 units2002 – 2004 Lexus SC
2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2004 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2004 Toyota Tundra
General Motors: 133,221 units
2002 – 2003 Buick LeSabre2002 – 2003 Buick Rendezvous
2002 – 2003 Cadillac DeVille
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Impala
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Venture
2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy
2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy XL
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette
2002 – 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
2002 – 2003 Pontiac Montana
2003 – 2004 Pontiac Vibe
Honda: 2,803,214 units
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord (4 cylinder)2001 – 2002 Honda Accord (6 cylinder)
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 - 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 - Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 - 2003 Acura TL/CL
Nissan: 437,712 units
2001 - 2003 Nissan Maxima2001 – 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2003 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2003 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 - Infiniti FX
Mazda: 18,050 units
2003 – 2004 Mazda62004 Mazda RX-8
BMW: 573,935 units
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible