ORLANDO, Fla. – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports more than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. still have unrepaired or “unfixed” Takata airbags, 10 years after the original recall.
Carfax Editor and Chief Patrick Olson checked in with NHTSA for the 10-year update.
Much to our surprise, Florida, one of nine states listed in the so-called Zone A, has 305,000 vehicles on the road with unrepaired Takata airbags.
Zone A states “pose the highest threat to safety” because of their high heat and humidity. They are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.
NHTSA reports 56,000 vehicles still have unrepaired airbags in Orlando alone.
“These aren’t junked or salvage cars,” Olson told News 6. ”These are cars still in operation that still need replacement airbags.”
According to Carfax “extended exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to deploy far more explosively than expected.”
NHTSA reported 27 people in the U.S. have been killed by these airbags and at least 400 have been injured. More than 67 million airbags in more than 40 million vehicles have been recalled in models from 19 automakers.
“Any owner with a car with an unfixed Takata airbag in it is really taking a risk with their safety,” Olson told News 6. “That means there’s a lot of people driving around you, driving near you in your neighborhood who have these unfixed cars.”
The vehicles in question span from Korea, Japan, U.S. and from Europe, according to Olson this “a global problem.”
Any consumer who would like to check to see if their vehicle has an unfixed recall, just go to Carfax.com/recall.
“Plug in your vehicle identification number (VIN) or even just your license plate information, “ Olson said. “We will tell you instantly for free if your car has an unfixed recall.”
Olson told News 6 the shortage of replacement parts we experienced in 2014 is no longer an issue.
“Call your dealer first and make sure they have the replacement parts on hand,” Olson said. “But automakers have them so dealers should be able to get them easily, it will take you an hour may be two hours and it will not cost you a dime.”
If you want to make sure your current vehicle doesn’t have a recall going forward, you can use the Carfax Car Care App. download the app, register your vehicle and you will receive recall updates “as long as you own your vehicle.”
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