If you drive a Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, or Subaru, you have surely heard about the Takata airbag recall. The Takata airbag recall has exceeded 35 million vehicles and counting. If you haven’t received a notice from your dealership, chances are that you will soon.
Some dealers still have pretty long wait times, but many are finally catching up, so you may be able to schedule service within a few days, likely less than 2 weeks. If you received a notice, call your dealer to schedule an appointment. And it the wait time is long, schedule one anyway. Takata airbags could cause serious injury. Have them replaced as soon as possible.
The recall was caused by Takeda airbags deploying with too much force, sending shrapnel into the interior of vehicles. Both deaths and injuries have been reported. Best we can figure out, when moisture would get into the inflator, it destabilized the chemical compound that inflates the airbag. Because of the moisture, the compound becomes destabilized, and explodes with greater force than intended.
If you did get a recall notice, call your dealer to get a free replacement service. Dealers do not charge for this service. If you bought a used car, didn’t get a notice, or just aren’t sure, you can check your VIN number here (https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/ ) – this is a site provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.