Airbags Recalled

Larry Bendik is one of the many Florida residents to get a safety recall notice in the mail because of a Takata airbag.

“They stated when I called that try not to put anybody in the passenger seat,” Bendik, a Honda Civic owner, said.

The passenger airbag in his vehicle is part of the recall.  Overtime the airbag inflators can become faulty and rupture spewing metal fragments at occupants.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently expanded the Takata airbag recall, adding an additional 35 million to 40 million vehicles. It is the largest automotive recall in history.

“There’s a lot of cars out there that could have this problem, that are really dangerous, deadly dangerous,” Bendik said.

Dangers of Faulty Airbags

The airbags are linked to 10 deaths and more than 100 injuries in the United States, so Bendik wasted no time calling his Honda dealer to get it fixed.

“They said, ‘Okay, we have to order the parts.’” Bendik explained.

A few days later, the parts were in and the car was fixed.

Fix Not Universal

Unfortunately, not all fixes are so easy.  For example, people who own several brands of Lexus are out of luck, for now. They received letters notifying them of the important safety recall of their front passenger seat airbag, but then it goes on to say no remedy is yet available.

Due to a shortage of replacement parts, some vehicles get priority over other based on risk factors like age of the vehicle and exposure to heat and humidity.

That is little comfort to drivers who get a notice.

“If it’s a problem, you want to take care of it as quickly as possible, cause it could happen at any time,” Bendik said.

Check Your Vehicle

Dozens of vehicles from several companies are affected.  You can check whether yours is on the list by entering your vehicle’s VIN number on a special National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

It’s expected to take months for the repair to be available on some vehicles.  If you’re among those waiting, call your dealership or the manufacturer to get on the list for repair as soon as it’s available. And take note, some dealers are offering rental cars to customers who are riding in unsafe vehicles; but you might have to fight for it.  Be firm and be persistent.

There will be five phases of the Takata Airbag Recall with more letters to customers coming out in the mail through 2019. For more information and to check whether your vehicle’s VIN number is part of the recall now, click here.