AAA Hawaii is alerting local motorists that government regulators have increased the numbers of recalled vehicles due to defective airbags from the previously announced list on Monday, Oct. 20.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has increased the number of vehicles and modified the vehicle list in its urgent notice to consumers of certain models of BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. The agency says it is urging consumers to immediately address recall notices to replace the Takata airbags equipped on their vehicles because they are defective.
U.S. geographic areas of special concern for these vehicles include Hawaii because the islands’ high humidity can make a dangerous airbag rupture more likely. The airbags have metal components called inflators that can break apart when the bags go off in a crash, sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment that can injure or kill, according to NHTSA. The agency is looking at airbags industrywide that fail or deploy with too much force and have been potentially linked to four deaths.
Toyota added more vehicles into its recent airbag recalls and has advised American owners of the affected cars to seat passengers in the back until the recall repairs are completed, according to news reports. Many of the cars from the other manufacturers have already been recalled but many of them have not been repaired.
“The NHTSA list now covers 7.8 million affected U.S. vehicles, with certain models from 2000 to 2008 noted by their urgent consumer advisory,” said the Automobile Club of Southern California Automotive Research Center Chief Automotive Engineer Steve Mazor, which also provides technical expertise to AAA Hawaii. “If there’s a safety recall of your vehicle, contact your local dealer and have the repair completed as soon as possible. You should also keep a copy of the work for your repair records.”
If drivers are unsure whether their vehicle is impacted by the Takata recalls or any other vehicle recalls, they can visit www.safercar.gov/vinlookup. On this website, consumers can search by their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), the unique federally-registered number of their car or truck, to determine if their vehicle has a recall that needs to be addressed. In addition, through this link, drivers can sign up for NHTSA recall alerts.
The recall alerts are distributed before recall letters, which have distinctive labeling, and are mailed to affected consumers.
The new recall label letters say “Important Safety Recall Information” in red and black, along with the phrase “Issued in Accordance with Federal Law,” and U.S. Dept. of Transportation and NHTSA logos, said Mazor.
7.8 Million Affected U.S. Vehicles, by Manufacturer, Impacted by CY 2013 and 2014 Recalls Involving Takata Airbags
Note: Numbers cited for potentially affected vehicles below are subject to change, says NHTSA, as manufacturers continue to add VINs to the database.
BMW: 627,615 potentially affected vehicles
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible
Chrysler: 371,309 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen
Ford: 58,669 potentially affected vehicles
2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2007 Mustang
General Motors: undetermined potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
2005 – Saab 9-2X
Honda: 5,051,364 potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord)
2001 – 2002 Honda Accord
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
2005 – Acura RL
Mazda: 64,872 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series Truck
Mitsubishi: 11,985 potentially affected vehicles
2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider
Nissan: 694,626 potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
Subaru: 17,516 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback
2004 – 2005 Impreza
Toyota: 877,000 potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra