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The Takata Airbag Recall: How It’s Likely to Affect You

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Over the past two years, millions of vehicles have been placed on the Takata airbag recall. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 50 million vehicles in the U.S. have already been affected by the Takata airbag recall and an additional 20 million more could also be affected. So far, 15 people in the U.S. have tragically lost their lives as a direct result of the faulty Takata airbags with more than 100 additional people who have been injured

In 2014 the NHTSA called for a nationwide recall and placed a number of vehicles under recall because both the driver and passenger airbags were considered to have faulty inflators. These inflators can become explosive and send shrapnel into the vehicle’s occupants, sometimes resulting in serious injury or death. Vehicles that were in high humidity areas such as Southern U.S. States were placed in the NHTSA’s “Priority One” group. Owners living in high-humidity areas were to have all work completed on the no later than the deadline of December 31st, 2017. All other vehicles affected by the recall are supposed to be completed no later than December 31, 2019.

Additional Recalls

A total of 19 automakers have vehicles that have been affected by the Takata airbag recall. Most of the bags that are currently under this recall were installed in the years spanning from 2002 to 2015. In February of this year, the NHTSA added an additional caveat to several vehicles that were not just to replace the airbag as soon as possible but were listed as “do not drive,” Mazda and Ford are advising owners of the MY 2006 Rangers and B-Series vehicles to contact their dealership immediately and not drive the cars. Both Ford and Mazda are providing towing and loaner vehicles for those drivers who are affected.

Fixing the Problem

Because the parts were not readily available, repairing the faulty airbags was difficult. At the beginning of the year, the NHTSA announced that supplies of replacement bags had significantly increased and waiting for repairs had been drastically reduced. To find out if your vehicle has been recalled go to the NHTSA website and type in your vehicle’s VIN number. If you find your vehicle manufacturer, make and model year, plan to get it fixed as soon as possible. “Don’t take the risk of a serious accident or worse,” said (NAME) of (Company). “First find out if your vehicle is affected by checking out the website. Then be sure to follow the advice of the NHTSA, and call the dealership to make arrangements for repair as soon as possible.”

Some dealerships will make arrangements for you to have a loaner vehicle while repairs are being made. All repairs regardless of model are being repaired for free and without any charge to consumers.

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