Fourteen years, 24 deaths and more than 400 injuries later, the U.S. is still dealing with the largest vehicle safety recall in history.
Defective Takata airbags are putting drivers at risk every day.
Traffic safety organizations and car dealerships are hoping a renewed campaign will encourage drivers to get the recall fixed. Some car makers are going as far as paying drivers to get the necessary repairs.
“They’re definitely dangerous. There’s shrapnel in your dashboard that’s susceptible to coming out if the airbag has to deploy,” said Central Florida Chrysler Fixed Operations Director Craig Smith.
Smith with Central Florida Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM wants drivers to pump the brakes and check for any open recalls on their vehicles today.
To help keep drivers safe heading into the summer travel season, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has joined Check To Protect, in partnership with local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealers and other Check To Protect Coalition members, in designating June as Airbag Recall Repair Month in Orlando.
This campaign aims to encourage Florida drivers of all vehicles to make safety a priority by taking immediate action to prevent serious injury and death. It’s critical that every Orlando-area driver check their vehicle, as the longer a defective recalled airbag remains in a vehicle, the greater the risk.
First, you’ll need to locate your vehicle’s VIN, or vehicle identification number.
“There’s a couple places you can find it. On the front, left bottom corner of the windshield. If it’s an older car or the windshield’s been replaced without it, you can find the VIN on the side of the driver’s door located on the sticker,” said Smith.
Call your local car dealership and ask if your car has a recall, or simply type the VIN number into the box on the Check To Protect website to find out if your vehicle has the Takata airbag recall.
How dangerous is the faulty airbag? It’s been blamed for 24 deaths and more than 400 injuries in the U.S. Even with the open recall, there are still nearly 400,000 vehicles in Florida across all makes and models with unrepaired airbags.
“Out of that number, there’s over 50,000 vehicles with these airbags just in Orlando Metro area alone that have these airbag recalls on them,” said Smith.
Smith said while dealerships have reached out multiple times with letters and phone calls alerting drivers of the open recall, some vehicle owner information is out-of-date. Smith said there are some other reasons drivers aren’t getting the fix their car needs.
“Excuses, the most common misconception is people don’t think there’s anything wrong with their car. You know, they get in it, they start the car, they drive it on the road. It’s not making any noises or showing visible issues. So they’re like, ‘Why do I need to bring it into the dealer?’” said Smith.
“I don’t think people realize how dangerous that part behind the dashboard is until somebody unfortunately gets hurt. People have gotten hurt and people have lost their lives as a result of these airbags. Another excuse is that they think that it’s not convenient. The OEM has really become generous when it comes to getting these recalls done. I can speak for Chrysler dealers, but I’m sure it’s the same with Honda, Volvo and other makes that are affected by these Takata airbags. They want to get your vehicle and they want to get it replaced.”
The repairs are free and most take less than two hours to service. Some dealerships like Central Florida Chrysler will even provide complimentary transportation or a rental while you wait. If that’s not enough encouragement, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM dealers will even pay drivers $50 if they get their recall repaired by July 15.
Airbag Recall Repair Month is hosted by FCA US LLC (maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram) as part of the Check To Protect program. Check To Protect was founded in 2017 by the National Safety Council and FCA US LLC. Today, program partners include vehicle safety advocates as well as BMW, Ford, General Motors, Toyota, and Volvo. Check To Protect welcomes any automaker or consumer and vehicle safety organization to join the effort to raise awareness for vehicle safety recalls.
The $50 gift card is available to everyone with a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram vehicle who gets their open Takata airbag recall repaired at an authorized dealership by July 15. Owners of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram vehicles can check if they have an open airbag recall and are therefore eligible by entering their license plate number or VIN at CheckToProtect.org. Once they receive their free repair by July 15, the dealership will provide vehicle owners with a hotline number that they can call, and once the owner confirms their information and provides an email address, Stellantis will send the $50 gift card to that email.
Here is a list of vehicles included in the Takata airbag recall, according to Consumer Reports:
Chrysler
Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Sterling and Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their respective companies. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. A notification schedule has not yet been provided, but FCA says that vehicles currently or previously registered in areas identified with high absolute humidity (Zone 1 areas) will be targeted first. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler’s number for this recall is S43.
Recalled Cars
Chrysler: 2005 to 2015 Chrysler 300, 2007 to 2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007 to 2008 Chrysler Crossfire
Dodge: 2008 to 2014 Dodge Challenger, 2006 to 2015 Dodge Charger, 2005 to 2011 Dodge Dakota, 2004 to 2009 Dodge Durango, 2005 to 2008 Dodge Magnum, 2003 to 2008 Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500 Pickup, 2005 to 2009 Dodge Ram 2500 Pickup, 2007 to 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, 2006 to 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 Pickup, 2008 to 2010 Dodge Ram 4500/5500 Cab Chassis
Jeep: 2007 to 2016 Jeep Wrangler
BMW
Affected owners in Florida, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico have been prioritized in this recall and will receive parts first. If you live in these regions, make sure to contact your local BMW dealer immediately to schedule an appointment to have your front driver and/or passenger airbag replaced. BMW recommends that no one sit in the front passenger seat until that airbag is replaced.
Recalled Cars: 2008 to 2013 BMW 1 Series, 1999 to 2013 BMW 3 Series, 2001 to 2003 BMW 5 Series, 2013 to 2015 BMW X1, 2007 to 2010 BMW X3, 2001 to 2003, 2007 to 2013 BMW X5, 2008 to 2014 BMW X62010 to 2011 BMW X6 Hybrid
Ferrari
Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag assembly, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 866-551-2828. Ferrari’s number for this recall is 60.
Recalled Cars: 2010 to 2015 Ferrari 458 Italia, 2014 to 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale, 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale A2012 to 2015 Ferrari 458 Spider, 2016 to 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB, 2016 to 2017 Ferrari 488 Spider, 2009 to 2014 Ferrari California, 2015 to 2017 Ferrari California T, 2013 to 2017 Ferrari F12, 2016 to 2017 Ferrari F12 tdf, 2016 Ferrari F60, 2012 to 2016 Ferrari FF, 2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso
Ford
Contact your local Ford or Lincoln dealer to schedule an appointment to have the airbag replaced in affected vehicles. Visit the Ford Owner website to see if your vehicle is part of the recall.
Recalled Cars
Ford: 2007 to 2010 Ford Edge, 2006 to 2012 Ford Fusion, 2005 to 2006 Ford GT2005 to 2014 Ford Mustang, 2004 to 2011 Ford Ranger
Lincoln: 2007 to 2010 Lincoln MKX, 2006 to 2012 Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ
Mercury: 2006 to 2012 Milan
General Motors
Double-check that your vehicle is actually involved. It was first announced that many Buicks, Cadillacs, and Oldsmobiles were affected by the recall. It turns out that was an error in reporting by NHTSA. Most of those vehicles were part of an unrelated recall years ago.
Interestingly, the two remaining vehicles were actually produced by other automakers and rebranded under former GM makes: the 2003 to 2005 Pontiac Vibe (built alongside the Toyota Matrix) and the 2005 Saab 9-2x (a Subaru-built vehicle rebranded as a Saab). Both vehicles should be taken to a current GM dealership for repairs.
Recalled Cars
Cadillac: 2007 to 2014 Cadillac Escalade, 2007 to 2014 Cadillac Escalade ESV, 2007 to 2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT
Chevrolet: 2007 to 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche, 2007 to 2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD, 2007 to 2014 Chevrolet Silverado LD, 2007 to 2014 Chevrolet Suburban, 2007 to 2014 Chevrolet Tahoe
GMC: 2007 to 2014 GMC Sierra HD, 2007 to 2014 GMC Sierra LD, 2007 to 2014 GMC Yukon, 2007 to 2014 GMC Yukon XL
Pontiac: 2003 to 2010 Pontiac Vibe
Saab: 2005 to 2006 Saab 9-2x, 2006 to 2011 Saab 9-3, 2006 to 2009 Saab 9-5
Saturn: 2008 to 2009 Saturn Astra
Honda
If you haven’t already, go to Honda’s recall site and enter your VIN. If your vehicle is included in this recall, the site will provide a description of the problem and instructions on how to proceed.
NHTSA has determined that certain model-year 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles have a much greater risk of ruptures during airbag deployment. In fact, nine of the first 11 Takata-related deaths in the U.S. were in Acura and Honda vehicles. These high-risk models are listed separately below.
If you have a vehicle that was first sold in or is registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands—take immediate action. If you haven’t already received notice in the mail, print out the results of your VIN search and contact your nearest Honda dealer. They have allocated the replacement parts to these high-humidity areas and will replace the part once you’ve made an appointment. Honda will be sending notices to other areas on a rolling basis as the parts become available.
Recalled Cars
Acura: 1997 to 1998 Acura 2.2CL, 1997 to 1998 Acura 3.0CL, 1998 to 1999 Acura 2.3CL, 2001 to 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002 to 2003 Acura 3.2TL, 2013 to 2016 Acura ILX, 2013 to 2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2001 to 2006 Acura MDX, 2007 to 2016 Acura RDX, 1998 to 2003 Acura 3.5RL, 2005 to 2012 Acura RL, 2009 to 2014 Acura TL, 1999 to 2001 Acura 3.2TL, 2009 to 2014 Acura TSX, 2010 to 2013 Acura ZDX
Honda: 1998 to 2012 Honda Accord, 1996 to 2000 Honda Civic Coupe, 1998 to 2011 Honda Civic, 2003 to 2011 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2001 to 2011 Honda Civic NGV, 2010 to 2015 Honda Crosstour, 1997 to 2011 Honda CR-V, 2011 to 2015 Honda CR-Z, 2003 to 2011 Honda Element, 2010 to 2014 Honda FCX Clarity, 2007 to 2013 Honda Fit, 2013 to 2014 Honda Fit EV, 2010 to 2014 Honda Insight, 1998 to 2004 Honda Odyssey, 2003 to 2015 Honda Pilot, 2006 to 2014 Honda Ridgeline
2006 to 2010 Honda GL1800 Gold Wing (motorcycle)
High-Risk Models: 2001 to 2002 Honda Civic, 2001 to 2002 Honda Accord, 2002 to 2003 Acura TL, 2002 Honda CR-V, 2002 Honda Odyssey, 2003 Acura CL,2003 Honda Pilot
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