The Takata Airbag Recall

 

The Takata Airbag Recall is a complex issue that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. The company has been ordered to pay $14,000 per day in fines for its slow response. It also pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court and agreed to pay $1 billion in penalties. Meanwhile, it is settling with automakers over claims of economic loss and expanding its massive recall by 3.3 million airbag inflators.

A second recall of cars made by Toyota has increased the number of affected vehicles by another 21 million. This recall involves passenger-side airbags manufactured by Takata. Toyota will replace airbags in affected vehicles with an improved one produced by a non-Takata supplier. The recall covers the Toyota Prius, Scion xB, Lexus ES, GX, and IS. Toyota will notify owners by the end of January.

The Takata Airbag Recall is now in its second phase, with additional vehicles being recalled by December 2019. The recall is now affecting 65 to 70 million cars, but it is not possible to know if your car is affected until you run a VIN search. Signing up for Recall Alerts will help you stay informed of any recalls. In addition to cars manufactured by Takata, other manufacturers of auto airbags, including Ferrari and Mitsubishi, have also been recalled due to the defect.

In addition to the initial recall of airbags, Honda, Toyota, and Acura recalled up to 3.5 million more vehicles. This was the largest recall ever, affecting millions of vehicles. As the number of recalled vehicles grew, Takata agreed to settle with many automakers and recalled up to 70 million inflators worldwide. The recall affected both the driver-side airbag and the passenger-side airbag.

There have been 14 deaths linked to the Takata Airbag Recall although it has not been proven that the inflator in the Honda Civic was responsible. Another two fatalities, however, were reported in Malaysia, but they were not related to Takata airbags. In the U.S., the Takata airbag was linked to more than 200 injuries, including two deaths. The Takata airbags were recalled in the first place in April 2011, and Honda has since issued updates about the recall.

The company is also recalling one million Honda vehicles as a precaution. In Japan, the affected model years are from 2002 through 2008. The 2008 Hondas are included in the recall for the first time. Honda plans to announce additional airbag recalls in the U.S. soon. As a result, the Takata Airbag Recall has caused serious damage to the Honda brand. There is no immediate plan to fix the problem, but Honda will be spending $363 million on new airbags.