Airbags Studies and Reports

BMW of North America is recalling 170,148 model year 2000-2003 525i Sedans, 530i Sedans, 540i Sedans, 525i Sports Wagons & 540i Sports Wagons, and model year 2000-2004 X5 SAV 3.0i, X5 SAV 4.4i, and X5 SAV 4.6is vehicles.

The recall applies to vehicles where the original steering wheel has been replaced with the optional sports steering wheel.

The sports steering wheel has a front airbag inflator that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for an optional sports steering wheel with an affected inflator. Dealers will replace the airbag module as necessary, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin March 4, 2019.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling nearly 1.3 million vehicles including:

Model year 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runners, model year 2014-2015 Scion xBs, Lexus IS350Cs, IS250Cs, model year 2014 Toyota Siennas, Lexus IS-Fs, and model year 2014-2017 Lexus GX460s sold, or ever registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands – or "Zone A."

Model year 2011-2013 Toyota Corollas, Corolla Matrixs, Lexus IS250s, IS350s, model year 2011-2016 4Runners, model year 2011-2015 Scion xBs, Lexus IS350Cs, IS250Cs, model year 2011-2014 Toyota Siennas, Lexus IS-Fs, model year 2011-2017 Lexus GX460s, and model year 2011-2012 Lexus ES350s ever registered in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia – or "Zone B."

Model year 2010-2013 Toyota Corollas, Corolla Matrixs, Lexus IS350s, model year 2010-2016 4Runners, model year 2010-2013 Lexus IS250s, model year 2010-2015 Scion xBs, Lexus IS350Cs, IS250Cs, model year 2010-2017 Lexus GX460s, model year 2010-2014 Lexus IS-Fs, and model year 2010-2012 Lexus ES350s ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming – or "Zone C."

The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, or replace the airbag assembly.

The recall was expected to begin February 11, 2019.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at (800) 331-4331.

Toyota's codes for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 1,413,222 model year 2010 Dodge Ram 3500s, Ram 4500s/5500s, model year 2010-2011 Dodge Dakotas, model year 2010-2014 Dodge Challengers, model year 2010-2015 Dodge Challengers, Chrysler 300s, and model year 2010-2016 Jeep Wranglers.

Excessive internal pressure may cause the driver's front airbag inflator to explode upon deployment.

An exploding inflator could cause metal fragments to strike the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's front airbag inflator, free of charge.

The recall began February 4, 2019.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V01.

Ford Motor Company is recalling the following 782,384 vehicles:

Model year 2014 Ford Mustangs sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- or "Zone A."

Model year 2011 Ford Rangers and Mercury Milans;, model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusions and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZs; and model year 2011-2014 Ford Mustangs sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia -- or "Zone B."

Model year 2010 Ford Edges and Lincoln MKXs, model year 2010-2011 Ford Rangers and Mercury Milans, model year 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZs, and model year 2010-2014 Ford Mustangs sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming -- or "Zone C."

The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original airbags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front airbag inflator, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 18, 2019.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling an estimated 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S.

Due to a defect linked to temperature cycling, humidity and time, passenger-side airbag inflators may -- on deployment -- send shrapnel into the vehicle cabin.

To date, the automaker has replaced more than 4 million Takata inflators. However, its inventory of replacement parts has outpaced demand for service.

The following vehicles are being recalled:

• model year 2010 Ram 3500 pickup
• model year 2010 Ram 4500/5500 chassis cab
• model year 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota pickup
• model year 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger sport coupe
• model year 2011-2015 Dodge Charger sedan
• model year 2010-2015 Chrysler 300 sedan and
• model year 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler SUV

Vehicles of the same type will be recalled in Canada (est. 88,830), Mexico (12,821) and markets outside the NAFTA region (118,084).

What to do

Chrysler will advise owners of the recalled vehicles when they may schedule service.

Owners with questions or concerns may call the Chrysler recall information center at (800) 853-1403.

Toyota is adding approximately 1.3 million vehicles to the series of recalls it has been conducting in connection with Takata airbag inflators.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with front passenger airbag inflators containing a non-desiccated, phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate propellant. A defect related to motor vehicle safety may arise in the inflators due to propellant degradation occurring after prolonged exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Activation of a non-desiccated ammonium nitrate inflator with degraded propellant may result in an airbag inflator rupture. If a defective airbag inflator ruptures, it may cause sharp metal fragments to pass through the airbag and spray directly at the driver and passengers, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.

The following vehicles are being recalled:

• model year 2010-2016 4Runners
• model year 2010-2013 Corollas
• model year 2010-2013 Matrixes
• model year 2011-2014 Siennas,
• model year 2010-2015 Scion XBs,
• model year 2010-2012 Lexus ES 350s
• model year 2010-2017 Lexus GX 460s
• model year 2010-2015 Lexus IS 250Cs
• model year 2010-2015 Lexus IS 350Cs
• model year 2010-2013 Lexus IS 250s
• model year 2010-2013 Lexus IS 350s and
• model year 2010-2014 Lexus IS-Fs.

What to do

Depending on the vehicle model, Toyota and Lexus dealers will replace either the front passenger airbag inflator or airbag assembly at no cost to owners.

Owners of all involved vehicles will receive direct notification starting in late January 2019.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at (800) 331-4331and Lexus customer service at (800) 255-3987.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 169,481 model year 2002-2005 Lexus SCs and Toyota Sequoias, model year 2003-2005 Toyota Corollas and Tundras, and model year 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibes.

The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger front airbag, the inflators may explode due to propellant degradation.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

This recall includes vehicles that have had their airbag previously replaced under an earlier recall.

What to do

Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners.

Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator with an alternate inflator, or replace the airbag assembly that includes an alternate inflator, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin January 14, 2019.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at (888) 270-9371, Lexus customer service at (800) 255-3987 or Pontiac customer service at (800) 762-2737.

Ford Motor Company is expanding its earlier recall on vehicles with certain passenger front airbag inflators after Takata declared those inflators defective.

A total of approximately 953,000 vehicles have been added to this expansion, including 782,384 in the U.S. and federalized territories and 149,652 in Canada.

Among the vehicles added to the recall are:

• 2010 Ford Edge and 2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles built at Oakville Assembly Plant, November 28, 2008, to July 12, 2010
• 2010-11 Ford Ranger vehicles built at Twin Cities, August 14, 2008, to June 21, 2014
• 2010-12 Ford Fusion, 2010-12 Lincoln MKZ and 2010-11 Mercury Milan vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, July 3, 2008, to July 29, 2012
• 2010-14 Ford Mustang vehicles built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, June 8, 2009, to December 16, 2011

What to do

Dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator or module at no cost to the customer.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Toyota is recalling about 65,000 Toyota model year 2003-2005 Model Year Corollas, model year 2002-2005 Sequoias, model year 2003-2005 Tundras and model year 2002-2005 Lexus SCs.

The vehicles were subject to previous recalls where front passenger airbag inflators were replaced with new Takata-produced, non-desiccated airbag inflators as a remedy.

A safety defect may arise in the Takata inflators due to propellant degradation occurring after prolonged exposure to high absolute humidity and high temperature cycling.

Activation of such inflators may result in an airbag inflator rupture, causing sharp metal fragments to pass through the airbag and spray directly at the driver and passengers, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.

What to do

Toyota dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator or the airbag assembly with an improved one produced by non-Takata suppliers at no cost.

The recall is expected to begin in early January 2019

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at (800) 331-4331 and Lexus customer service at (800) 255-3987.

Mazda North American Operations is recalling a total of 394 vehicles.

The include model year 2011 Mazda RX-8s sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Also included are model year 2010-2011 RX-8s registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

These vehicles are equipped with certain airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger front airbag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin November 12, 2018.

Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2918J.

Ferrari Ferrari North America has expanded an earlier recall of 1,073 model year 2013 California, 458 Italia, 458 Spider, FF, and F12 Berlinetta vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to include an additional 826 of those vehicles.

The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front air bag modules used as original or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger front airbag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front airbag assembly, free of charge.

The recall began March 1, 2018 for the original population. The recall will begin in June 2018 for the expanded population.

Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-866-551-2828. Ferrari's number for this recall is 63.

Kia Motors America is recalling 507,587 model year 2010-2013 Kia Fortes & Forte Koups, model year 2011-2013 Kia Optimas, and model year 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrids & Sedonas.

The airbag control unit may short circuit, preventing the front airbags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying in the event of a crash.

If the front airbags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.

What to do

The remedy for this recall is still under development.

The recall is planned to begin on July 27, 2018.

Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 51,352 model year 2009-2014 Volkswagen CCs, model year 2010-2014 Golfs, model year 2010-2011 Eos vehicles, model year 2007-2010 Passat Sedans, and model year 2007-2010 Passat Wagons.

Upon deployment of the driver's front airbag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode with metal fragments striking occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's front airbag inflator free of charge.

The recall was expected to begin March 15, 2018.

Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9.

Subaru of America is recalling 93,209 model year 2009-2010 Tribecas, Imprezas, Foresters, WRXs, Legacys and Outbacks sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The vehicles are equipped with certain airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger front airbag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An explosion of an inflator may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 9, 2018.

Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-18.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 132,167 of the following vehicles:

• Model year 2013 C250s, C250 Coupes, C350 Coupe 4Matics, C300 4Matics, C350s, C350 Coupse, C63 AMGs, C63 Coupes, E350 Cabrios, E350 Coupes, E550 Cabrios, E350 Coupe 4Matics, E550 Coupes, GLK350 4Matics, GLK250 Bluetec 4Matics, GLK350s, SLS Coupes, SLS AMG GT Coupes, and SLS Roadsters sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A."
• Model year 2010 C300s, C300 4Matics, C63 AMGs, E350 Coupes, E550 Coupes, GLK350s, and GLK350 4Matics ever registered in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B."
• Model year 2009 C300s, C300 4Matics, C63 AMGs, and C350s ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger front airbag, the inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge.

Parts are currently not available.

Owners will be sent an interim notification starting in February 2018. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.

Toyota Motor North America is expanding its recall of vehicles with Takata front passenger airbag inflators.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with a particular type of Takata inflator in which a safety defect may arise in the front passenger airbag inflators in the involved vehicles due to inflator propellant degradation occurring after prolonged exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

This may result in an inflator rupture when the airbag deploys.

Based on the latest information from Takata, the expansion involves approximately 601,300 additional vehicles in the U.S.

The following models are included:

• 2009 – 2010 and 2013 Model Year Scion xB
• 2009 ‐ 2010 and 2013 Model Year Toyota Corolla
• 2009 – 2010 and 2013 Model Year Toyota Corolla Matrix
• 2009 – 2010 Model Year Toyota Yaris
• 2010 and 2013 Model Year Toyota 4Runner
• 2013 Model Year Toyota Sienna
• 2009 – 2010 and 2013 Model Year Lexus IS250/350
• 2010 and 2013 Model Year Lexus IS250C/350C
• 2009 – 2010 and 2013 Model Year Lexus IS‐F
• 2009 – 2010 Model Year Lexus ES350
• 2010 and 2013 Model Year Lexus GX460

What to do

Toyota will contact all known owners of the recalled vehicles by first class mail by early March.

Toyota and Lexus dealers will replace either the front passenger air bag inflator or the front passenger air bag assembly at no cost to customers.

Owners with questions may contact Toyota customer service at 1‐800‐331‐4331, or Lexus customer service at 1‐800‐255‐3987.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 37,421 model year 2003 Accord Coupes equipped with a four-cylinder engine.

If the passenger front airbag module has been replaced, such as after a crash necessitating airbag deployment, the replacement airbag module may include a Takata airbag inflator.

These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to lower absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any Takata inflator used in the passenger front airbag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 1, 2017.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KF0.

It was nearly two years ago that some automakers began recalling cars equipped with defective Takata airbags that are in danger of spraying metal fragments through the passenger compartment when they deploy.

Since then, more than 42 million vehicles from 19 different automakers have been recalled and at least 11 people in the U.S. have been killed by the flying metal fragments.

California civic leaders, alarmed that millions of unrepaired recalled vehicles are still on state highways, have banded together to add urgency to the recall.

They say Southern California leads the nation in defective airbag deaths. They say the risk is especially high in that region because of warm weather, which is a factor that increases the defect in the airbag inflator. The initiative, called Airbag Recall: Southern California, is trying to spread the word in Southern California that if you are driving a car with one of these airbags, you need to take advantage of the free repair.

Putting lives at risk

"Airbags save lives, but defective ones are a hazard that puts our loved ones at risk," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "We have to give people the information they need to protect themselves and their families."

Federal transportation officials say the airbags with the greatest risk are in certain 2001-2003 Hondas and Acuras, with as high as a 50% chance of exploding upon deployment.

The affected models include the 2001 and 2002 Honda Civic, the 2001 and 2002 Honda Accord, the 2002 and 2003 Acura TL, the 2002 Honda Odyssey, the 2002 Honda CR-V, the 2003 Acura CL, and the 2003 Honda Pilot.

The Honda risk

Honda is participating in the initiative, releasing a statement urging drivers of its affected models to check their vehicle identification number (VIN). If it's a recalled vehicle and the repair has not been made, the company says consumers should go to a Honda dealer for the free recall repairs immediately. The company says replacement parts, which were in short supply early in the recall, are now plentiful.

Owners of these vehicles may also schedule a repair by calling Honda at 1-888-234-2138.

Honda says consumers driving certain 2001-2003 Honda and Acura models originally equipped with Takata's older "Alpha" inflators, are at an even higher risk. It says there is a 50% chance an "Alpha" inflator will rupture in a crash.

Honda says these vehicles should not be driven, except to a dealer for the repair.

BMW of North America is recalling 36 model year 2017 X5 sDrive35i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 xDrive35d, and X5 xDrive40e vehicles.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with passenger front airbag modules using certain air-bag inflators that may not vent properly in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag.

If the inflator cannot vent properly, the inflator may rupture, resulting in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants and causing serious injury or death.

What to do

BMW has notified owners, and dealers will replace the air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on March 20, 2017.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

The ink had not yet dried on a judge's order fining airbag-maker Takata $1 billion for wire fraud when a class-action lawsuit was filed in Florida charging that Ford, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota had installed the defective airbags in cars for years while knowing they were dangerous.

“For over a decade, Takata lied to its customers about the safety and reliability of its ammonium nitrate-based airbag inflators,” said Acting Assistant U.S. Attorney General Blanco after a Detroit federal court judge imposed the fine Monday. “Takata abused the trust of both its customers and the public by allowing airbag inflators to be put in vehicles knowing that the inflators did not meet the required specifications."

The Florida lawsuit charges that it was not only Takata that knew of the hazards presented by the faulty airbag inflators. It alleged that automakers knew of the dangers but kept pressuring suppliers to keep costs down and continued using Takata airbags even though they knew they were prone to explode and spew deadly shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

At least eleven people have died in the U.S. and more than 100 have been injured by the airbags, and automakers have staged a massive recall of more than 70 million airbags in 42 million vehicles.

The Florida suit was filed by attorney Kevin Dean, who objected to the Takata plea deal and charged that documents filed with the court showed that automakers were not victims of a Takata cover-up but accomplices.

Judge George Caram Steeh approved the settlement anyway, saying that Dean's objections could be handled in a separate civil suit.

Honda strongly denied the allegations in the Florida suit, saying it "reasonably believed" they were safe. 

Takata has reportedly agreed to set up a fund to compensate victims of its faulty airbags, which have been blamed for 11 deaths and hundreds of injuries in the United States. The $125 million fund is part of a plea deal expected to be aired in a federal courtroom in Detroit on Monday.

More than 70 million of the defective airbags have been recalled because their inflator can explode and send deadly shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

The recall process has been seen as painstakingly slow by consumers, although regulators and automakers say they have been working as quickly as possible to remove and replace the defective units.

Last December, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an order that set deadlines for when automakers must have replacement parts available for customers. 

“NHTSA is doing everything possible to make sure that there are no more preventable injuries or deaths because of these dangerous airbag inflators,” said then-NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind. “All vehicle owners should regularly check their vehicles for recalls at SaferCar.gov and go get them fixed at no cost as soon as replacement parts are available.”

It's not that easy, of course. Consumers and dealers alike have been frustrated by a lack of parts. Some automakers have asked dealers to make loaners available but most have not, leaving consumers with little choice but to drive around with a lethal explosive device just inches from their face. 

The fund is said to be similar to the one General Motors set up in 2014 to deal with the deaths and injuries that resulted from faulty ignition switches on some of its smaller sedans. Press reports in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere say the fund will be administered by Kenneth Feinberg, who also ran the GM fund and handled compensation for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

$1 billion total

The fund is part of what's expected to be $1 billion that Takata will pay as part of an agreement to plead guilty to criminal wire fraud for allegedly providing false safety reports to automakers. Much of the remaining amount will be used to reimburse automakers for the expenses they have incurred in conducting the recalls. 

Takata had earlier turned aside a plea by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that it establish a fund to compensate victims, saving them the expense and trauma of pursuing legal action against the company. He said Takata only agreed to the action "because they had a gun to their head."

Blumenthal noted that General Motors had set up its fund just months after recalling millions of cars with defective ignition switches, and he called the $125 million "paltry" compared with the automakers' fund.

Settling the court case is thought to be the last hurdle in Takata's attempt to find a buy for the troubled company, which would otherwise likely face bankruptcy.

Nissan North America (Nissan) is recalling 46 model year 2002 Pathfinders and Infiniti QX4s.

The vehicles' Takata airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment may rupture in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags.

What to do

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger airbag assembly, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

This story is based on a recall notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the automobile manufacturer. Although the recall notice may specify certain models and production years, the actual recall may officially include only certain vehicles within those categories -- production runs during a certain time span, for example.

Has your car been recalled? To check whether there are outstanding recalls on your car, jot down your VIN number (which you can find in the lower left corner of your windshield), go to www.nhtsa.gov/recalls, and enter the VIN where indicated. 

Once notified of a recall, you should contact your local dealer, who will make the necessary repairs if parts are available. Frequently, parts are not immediately available and you may have to wait, sometimes for months in the case of a large recall. The dealer may voluntarily provide you with a loaner but is not required by law to do so. 

Jaguar Land Rover North America is recalling a total of 8,769 vehicles with a passenger front airbag inflator issue.

Included are model year 2012 Land Rover Range Rovers originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A," Land Rover is recalling model year 2009 Land Rover Range Rover vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Further, Land Rover is recalling model year 2007-2008 Land Rover Range Rover vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Land Rover will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assemblies, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners will be sent an interim notification around March 3, 2017. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is P082.

Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) is recalling 1,964 model year 2012 and 2014 i-MiEV vehicles.

The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-17-001.

BMW of North America is recalling a total of 48,380 vehicles with a passenger front airbag inflator issue.

Te recall includes model year 2012 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i, and X6 M vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A,", BMW is recalling certain 2009 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i, and X5 M vehicles, 2008-2009 X6 xDrive 35i, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, and 2009 X5 xDrive35d vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Further, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B," BMW is recalling certain 2007-2008 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i and X5 M vehicles, and 2008 X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i, and X6 M vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator or airbag module, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available are expected to be mailed March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Ford Motor Company is recalling a total of 654,695 vehicles with an airbag inflator issue.

Included are model year 2012 Ford Fusions and Mustangs and Lincoln Zephyrs and MKZs originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A,” Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Rangers, Edges, Fusions and Mustangs, Lincoln MKXs, MKZs and Zephyrs and Mercury Milans originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B," Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Rangers, Edges and Lincoln MKXs, 2006-2008 Ford Fusions, Mercury Milans, Lincoln Zephyrs and MKZs, 2005-2008 Ford Mustangs and 2005-2006 Ford GTs originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

These vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger front airbag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front airbag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available are expected to begin February 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S01.

Daimler Vans USA (DVUSA) is recalling a total of 11,279 vehicles with an airbag inflator issue.

Included are model year 2012 Freightliner 2500 and 3500 Sprinter and Mercedes-Benz 2500 and 3500 Sprinter vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, DVUSA is recalling certain 2009 Dodge 2500 and 3500 Sprinter and Freightliner 2500 and 3500 Sprinter vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

These vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

DVUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger airbag module, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners about the recall and telling them that parts are not yet available are expected to be mailed in February 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available.

Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.

Mazda North America Operations is recalling a total of 8,018 vehicles with airbag inflator issues.

Included are model year 2009 RX-8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone B,” Mazda is recalling model year 2005-2006 MPV and 2005-2008 RX-8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal airbag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 7, 2017.

Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 0617A.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling a total of 543,326 vehicles with airbag inflator issues.

The recall includes model year 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A," Toyota is recalling model year 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Further, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B," Toyota is recalling model year 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger front airbag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger front airbag inflator or the airbag assembly, free of charge.

Interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available are expected to begin January 30, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are G1P (Toyota Zone A), G1R (Toyota Zone B), H1A (Toyota Zone C), G2G (Lexus Zone A), G2H (Lexus Zone B) and H2A (Lexus Zone C). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).

McLaren Automotive Incorporated is recalling 359 model year 2012 MP4-12C vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

These vehicles are equipped with certain airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

McLaren will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag inflators, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. McLaren will send a letter to the affected owners to notify them of the recall and will mail a follow up letter when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact McLaren customer service at 1-646-8916.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling a total of 882 Goldwing motorcycles.

Included are model year 2006-2009 and 2012 Honda GL1800 (Goldwing) motorcycles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, if not included in "Zone A," Honda is recalling certain 2006-2009 Honda GL1800 (Goldwing) motorcycles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Additionally, if not included in Zone A or Zone B above, Honda is recalling certain 2006-2008 Honda GL1800 (Goldwing) motorcycles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

These vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the operator resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 24, 2017.

Owners may contact Honda Motorcycle Customer Support at 1-866-784-1870. Honda's number for this recall is KE5.

General Motors is recalling 18 model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibus manufactured November 18, 2015, to June 7, 2016.

The fabric of the side-impact airbag cushion may tear during deployment.

If the airbag tears during deployment, it may not perform as designed, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the air bag module, free of charge. The recall began October 27, 2016.

Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16079.

BMW of North America is recalling 3,606 certain model year 2015 BMW X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, X3 xDrive35i, X3 xDrive28d, X4 xDrive28i and X4 xDrive35i vehicles; and model year 2014-2015 X5 xDrive35i, X5 sDrive35i, X5 xDrive50i, and 2014 X5 xDrive35d vehicles.

The vehicles have a driver's front airbag inflator that may have been improperly welded.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's front airbag, the inflator housing could separate from the base plate and result in metal striking vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's front airbag, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 11, 2016.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling 7,589 model year 2016 Toyota Prius vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015, to June 14, 2016.

An airbag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger airbag, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

What to do

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 13, 2016.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0W.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling an estimated 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S.

When vehicles equipped with a particular occupant restraint control module and front impact sensor wiring of a specific design are involved in certain collisions, the airbag and seat-belt pretensioners may not deploy properly.

If all these factors are present, there may be an increased potential for occupant injury.

The Company says it is aware of three fatalities and five injuries that may be related to this condition.

The following vehicles are being recalled:

• 2010 Chrysler Sebring midsize car
• 2011-2014 Chrysler 200 midsize cars
• 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber compact car
• 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger midsize cars
• 2010-2014 Jeep® Patriot and Compass SUVs 
• An additional 142,959 of these vehicles are subject to recall in Canada; 81,901 in Mexico, a population that includes the 2010 Chrysler Cirrus compact car; and 284,051 outside North America, which also includes the 2012-2013 Lancia Flavia midsize car.

The occupant restraint controllers or wire routing design found in the recalled vehicles are no longer being used.

What to do

Chrysler will advise affected owners when they may schedule service, which will be performed free of charge.

Owners with questions may call the Chrysler customer care center at (800) 853-1403.

Toyota Motor North America is recalling approximately 7,600 model year 2016 Prius vehicles in the U.S.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with a front passenger airbag containing stored, compressed gas in the inflator. A component in the airbag assembly may have been improperly welded and/or misassembled. If this occurs, the stored gas may escape without a deployment signal and result in the partial inflation of the air bag. This has been observed when the vehicle is parked and unoccupied for a period of time.

An airbag that inflates in this manner can, under some circumstances, increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a crash.

What to do

Toyota will notify all known owners of the recalled vehicles by first class mail beginning in November and Toyota dealers will replace the front passenger airbag assembly with a new one at no cost.

Owners may call Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987.  

Pagani Automobili SpA is recalling 32 model year 2014-2016 Huayra vehicles manufactured April 21, 2014, to July 29, 2016.

The driver side front air bag may not remain secured adequately to the steering wheel during deployment, and therefore the air bag may deploy improperly increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

What to do

Pagani has notified owners, and dealers will change the fasteners on the steering wheel air bag assembly, free of charge.

The recall began August 16, 2016. Owners may contact Pagani customer service at 1-415-350-7220.

BMW of North America is recalling 7,810 model year 2016-2017 MINI Clubman vehicles manufactured August 19, 2015, through July 14, 2016.

The side curtain airbags for the front seat occupants may not deploy in the intended positions in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."

If a side curtain airbag does not inflate as intended in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury to the front seat occupants.

What to do

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will modify the driver and passenger side curtain air bag covers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin September 12, 2016.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 14,535 model year 2017 Audi Q7s manufactured August 30, 2015, to May 8, 2016.

Due to a software issue within the air bag control module, the front air bags may deploy with more force than required in certain crashes. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Air bags that deploy with excessive force may increase the risk of injury.

What to do

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69O3.

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling 3,734 model year 2007-2009 B-Series trucks manufactured June 6, 2006, to January 22, 2009, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Mazda is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 B-Series trucks manufactured February 21, 2006, to April 28, 2008, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

The vehicles are equipped with certain airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 16, 2016.

Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9616F.

Nissan North America is recalling 4,355 model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentras manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016.

The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag. As a result, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin in late July 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is making a concerted effort to ensure that older vehicles with Takata airbag inflators -- particularly model-year 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles -- are found and fixed before they cause further injuries or fatalities.

The push comes as a result of new test data, which according to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx show, “as high as a 50% chance of a dangerous airbag inflator rupture in a crash. Folks should not drive these vehicles unless they are going straight to a dealer to have them repaired immediately, free of charge.”

The higher-risk inflators are in the following vehicles:

• 2001-2002 Honda Civic
• 2001-2002 Honda Accord
• 2002-2003 Acura TL
• 2002 Honda CR-V
• 2002 Honda Odyssey
• 2003 Acura CL
• 2003 Honda Pilot

Manufacturing defect increases risk

The airbag inflators in the above listed vehicles contain a manufacturing defect that, according to NHTSA, greatly increases the potential for dangerous rupture when a crash causes the airbag to deploy.

Ruptures are much more likely to occur in inflators if vehicles have spent significant periods of time in areas of high absolute humidity -- particularly Florida, Texas, other parts of the Gulf Coast, and Southern California. Testing of the inflators from these vehicles show rupture rates as high as 50% in a laboratory setting, the agency stated.

The vehicles in this grouping were recalled between 2008 and 2011. Honda has reported that more than 70% of this higher-risk population of vehicles has already been repaired, but nearly 313,000 vehicles remain unrepaired.

What to do

Drivers of these vehicles should immediately visit SaferCar.gov to check whether their vehicle has any outstanding safety recalls. Those that do should contact their nearest dealer to schedule a no-cost immediate repair. Replacement parts for these vehicles are available immediately.

Nearly 70 million Takata air bag inflators are or will be under recall by 2019, in the largest and most complex auto safety recall in U.S. history.  

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling model year 2008-2009 Audi A4, A5, and Q5 vehicles, in which the airbag control units may corrode and fail.

If the air bag control unit fails, the air bags may not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

What to do

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69O1.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., is recalling about 482,000 model year 2010 - 2012 Prius; 2010 and 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrids; and 2011 and 2012 Lexus CT 200h vehicles.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with curtain shield air bags (CSA) in the driver and passenger side roof rails that have air bag inflators composed of two chambers welded together. Some inflators could have a small crack in the weld area joining the chambers, which could grow over time, and lead to the separation of the inflator chambers. This has occurred when the vehicle is parked and unoccupied for a period of time.

If an inflator separates, the CSA could partially inflate, and, in limited circumstances, one or both sections of the inflator could enter the interior of the vehicle. If an occupant is present in the vehicle, there is an increased risk of injury.

What to do

All known owners of the recalled vehicles will be notified by first class mail. Toyota and Lexus dealers will install retention brackets on the curtain shield air bag inflators at no cost. The retention brackets are designed to prevent the inflator chambers from entering the vehicle interior if separation occurs.

Information about automotive recalls, including but not limited to the list of involved vehicles, is subject to change over time.

Owners with questions may call Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987.  

Subaru of America is recalling 88,131 model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, and Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, or "Zone C."

These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-16. 

Mazda North America Operations is recalling 236,280 vehicles in two zones.

The first is “Zone A” and includes model year 2009-2011 Mazda6, 2007-2011 CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Mazda is recalling model year 2007-2008 CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

These vehicles are equipped with certain airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 15, 2016.

Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9516E.

The American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 2,701 motorcycles in two zones.

The first is “Zone A” and includes model year 2006-2010 Honda GL1800 (Gold Wing) motorcycles manufactured February 8, 2006, to May 14, 2009, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Unless included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling model year 2006-2008 Honda GL 1800 (Gold Wing) motorcycles manufactured May 10, 2007, to May 14, 2009, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Motorcycles not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall.

These motorcycles are equipped with an air bag inflator assembled as part of the air bag module, used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the rider resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag module containing the inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-866-784-1870. Honda's number for this recall is KA8.

Forest River is recalling 77 model year 2007-2014 Solera, and Coachmen Prism vehicles, built on Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter chassis.

Upon deployment of the driver's front air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's front air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Forest River will notify owners, and either Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner dealers will replace the driver front air bag inflator, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Interim notices will be sent beginning June 28, 2016. A second notice will be sent when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-877-496-3691 or may call the Sprinter/Takata hotline at 1-877-496-3691. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-04262016-0182.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 199,705 model year 2008-2011 C300 Sedans, C300 4matic Sedans, C350 Sedans, C63 AMG Sedans; 2010-2011 GLK350, GLK350 4-Matics and E350 Coupes; 2011 SLS AMGs, E350 Convertibles, E550 Coupes and E550 Convertibles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, MBUSA is recalling model year 2008 C300 Sedans, C350 Sedans, C63 AMG Sedans and C300 4-Matic Sedans originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag modules, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners will be sent an interim notification in July 2016. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.

BMW of North America is recalling 91,806 model year 2007-2011 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i and X5M vehicles; 2009-2011 X5 xDrive35d vehicles; 2008-2011 X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M vehicles; and 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, BMW is recalling model year 2007-2008 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i and X5M vehicles; and 2008 BMW X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator or air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 18, 2016.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Jaguar Land Rover North America is recalling 34,334 model year 2007-2011 Land Rover Range Rovers originally sold or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Land Rover is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Land Rover Range Rovers originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Vehicles not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall.

These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Land Rover will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assemblies, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners will be sent an interim notification around July 31, 2016. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is P081.

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 217,000 model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2011 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."

Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2008 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."

Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Volkswagen is recalling model year 2004 Audi A4 vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834.

General Motors is recalling 500,000 model year 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalades; Escalade ESVs;, Escalade EXTs; Chevrolet Avalanches; Silverado 1500s; Suburbans; Tahoes; GMC Sierra 1500s; Yukons; and Yukon XLs originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Vehicles not originally sold or ever registered in these states are not subject to this safety recall.

These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

GM has not yet determined a remedy plan nor provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 49152.

Ferrari North America is recalling 2,820 model year 2009-2011 Ferrari Californias manufactured February 16, 2009, to July 8, 2011, and model year 2010-2011 458 Italias manufactured March 5, 2010, to July 29, 2011.

These vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, the inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assembly, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-866-551-2828. Ferrari's number for this recall is 60.

Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) is recalling 38,628 model year 2006-2007 Lancers and Lancer Evolutions manufactured June 29, 2005, to June 19, 2007, equipped with certain airbag inflators.

In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front airbag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-002.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 7,180 model year 2011-2016 Right Hand Drive Jeep Wranglers manufactured February 16, 2010, to May 2, 2016.

The clockspring assembly may become contaminated with dust and cause the air bag circuit to fail.

Failure of the air bag circuit may prevent the driver's front air bag from deploying in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clockspring, wheel back cover, and column shroud, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S40.

Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Flex; 2008 and 2010-2012 Taurus; 2008-2009 Taurus X; 2008 Mercury Sable; and 2009 & 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles.

The driver front air bag may inflate improperly during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's front air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA is expanding its recalls involving Takata front passenger air bag inflators by approximately 1.584 million vehicles.

A safety defect may arise in front passenger air bag inflators in the involved vehicles due to inflator propellant degradation occurring after prolonged exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures and high temperature cycling.

This may result in an inflator rupture when the air bag deploys.

Approximately 1,584,000 additional vehicles in U.S. are being recalled. Among them:

• 2009 - 2011MY Corolla, Matrix
• 2006 - 2011MY Yaris
• 2010 - 2011MY 4Runner
• 2011MY Sienna
• 2008 - 2011MY Scion xB
• 2007 - 2011MY Lexus ES
• 2010 – 2011MY Lexus GX
• 2006 – 2011MY Lexus IS

What to do

Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners will be notified by first class mail. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the air bag inflator, or the air bag assembly, at no cost.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987.  

Hawaii is suing Takata and Honda, accusing them of covering up defects in Takata's airbags. It's the first state to take Takata to court over the massive recall of airbags, which have been linked to 13 deaths and hundreds of injuries worldwide.

Takata announced today that it is recalling 14 million more airbags, although it doesn't yet know which cars contain the potentially defective units.

Hawaii is seeking $10,000 for each affected vehicle in the state, estimated to be about 70,000. 

“Companies that supply and market goods to Hawai’i consumers are obligated to deliver products that are safe and to provide consumers with full, accurate, and timely information when dangers become known," said Stephen Levins, Executive Director of the State Office of Consumer Protection. "Takata and Honda put their own profits and reputations ahead of honesty and their customers’ safety. We intend to hold them accountable for their conduct.”

Takata is also being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice and faces an avalanche of lawsuits. Federal regulators earlier this month said an additional 40 million Takata airbags need to be replaced, in addition to 28.8 million already recalled.

Hawaii is one of the high-humidity states where the recall was initially focused. In its suit, the state says its tropical climate puts residents at a “significantly greater risk of overly aggressive combustion, rupture, and injury and/or death caused by Takata’s unsafe airbags.”

Kia Motors America is recalling 17 model year 2016 Kia Optimas manufactured November 10, 2015, to February 12, 2016.

A chemical enhancer required for the for the second stage deployment of the driver's front air bag was not loaded, resulting in the second stage not deploying in necessitating crashes, increasing the risk of injury or death.

What to do

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's front air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in May 2016.

Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC131.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 58,515 model year 2016 Avalons and Camrys manufactured November 30, 2015, to March 4, 2016.

The occupant classification system (OCS) that activates or deactivates the front passenger seat air bag system may have been calibrated improperly. As a result, the front passenger air bag and knee air bag may not deploy as intended in certain crash scenarios. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Air bags that do not deploy as intended during a crash increase the risk of injury.

What to do

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the OCS, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by May 31, 2016.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0J.

Jaguar Land Rover North America is recalling five model year 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015 XF vehicles manufactured February 6, 2008 to October 20, 2014.

The driver front air bags may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage deployment, resulting in the second stage deploying improperly in certain crashes increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Jaguar will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 6, 2016.

Owners may contact Jaguar customer service at 1-800-452-4827. Jaguar's number for this recall is J065.

Toyota Motor Sales is recalling approximately 16,880 Model Year 2016 Avalon and 41,630 model Year 2016 Camry sedans.

The front passenger seat is equipped with an Occupant Classification System (OCS) which activates/deactivates the front passenger air bag system, depending on the weight of the occupant.

There is a possibility that some vehicles may not have received proper OCS calibration during the vehicle manufacturing process. With the improper calibration, under some conditions, the front passenger airbag and the front passenger knee airbag may not deploy as designed in a crash, increasing the risk of an injury to a front seat passenger.

What to do

Toyota will notify owners of the recalled vehicles by first class mail and Toyota dealers will re-calibrate the OCS.

Owners may call Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 11,602 model year 2004-2007 Accords manufactured October 1, 2003, to August 17, 2007.

The vehicles may have been assembled with an incorrect passenger frontal air bag module that does not comply with the advanced air bag requirements. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

An air bag module does not meet the advanced air bag requirements can increase the risk of injury or death in the event of a crash.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the air bag module as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 5, 2016.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's number for this recall is JZ3.

Police used to marvel at how people walked away from head-on accidents that would have killed them prior to the widespread use of airbags. Now they marvel at the people who are killed in minor fender-benders when their airbags explode and hurl tiny pieces of metal into the passenger compartment.

That's what happened to Huma Hanif, 17, when she rear-ended the car in front of her while driving outside Houston in her Honda Civic. A metal fragment became embedded in her neck and she bled out at the scene, police said.

“She wasn’t speeding. The car had only moderate damage,” Sheriff's Office Danny Beckworth said, according to a report in The New York Times. “It’s a crash that we work with every day that everybody walks away from.”

Fatal shortcomings

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla,) said the death illustrates the shortcomings in the U.S. safety recall program.

General Motors is recalling 3,137 model year 2016 Malibus manufactured February 16, 2016, to March 5, 2016.

The two weld studs that mount the front and rear side impact air bags may fracture and separate from the air bag during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214, "Side Impact Protection."

Fractured weld studs may allow the side air bag to move out of position during deployment, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 31820.

General Motors is recalling 1,579 model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorados manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016; Chevrolet Malibus manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016; and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016.

The driver-side front air bag may inflate improperly during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.

An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side front air bag module, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.

In an odd way, Takata's explosion-prone airbags may be contributing to highway safety. As the owner of two cars with the recalled devices, I can testify that I am much less likely to mercilessly tailgate slower drivers, knowing that bashing the car in front of me could result in shards of metal penetrating my neck.

But snarking aside, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) has been putting pressure on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall all airbags that use ammonium nitrate to inflate the airbag when a crash occurs. He also wants the NHTSA to require that new airbags use something else.

"With all that we know about these things, they should not be used. This ammonium nitrate should not be used as replacements for the old Takata inflators, and certainly shouldn't be used in the new cars that are produced and sold to consumers," Nelson said in comments on the Senate floor earlier this week.

Nelson made the request in a letter to NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind, adding that he thinks all Takata airbgs that use ammonium nitrate should be recalled.

"New hardships"

But Rosekind says granting Nelson's request would make a bad situation worse. It would "needlessly impose new hardships" on the supply of replacement parts for the 29 million Takata inflators already recalled, he said in a letter to Nelson.

Nelson said consumers need some reassurance that the NHTSA is on the right track.

"Will Takata continue to produce millions of these things? We don't know. We don't know the answer. And are consumers today basically getting a newer version of the old version that has been so defective? No answer to that either," he said. "In other words, are we going to replace an old live grenade with a new live grenade?"

For their part, automakers continue to issue new recalls as they find evidence of potentially defective inflators. Toyota today recalled another 198,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles.  

Toyota Motor Sales, USA is expanding two of its recalls involving Takata front passenger air bag inflators.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with a Takata-produced dual-stage front passenger airbag inflator which could potentially be susceptible to rupture when deployed in a crash.

The expansion will add 198,000 Model Year 2008 Corolla and Corolla Matrix and Model Year 2008-2010 Lexus SC430 vehicles, model years of certain vehicles previously recalled and will cover all remaining dual-stage front passenger inflators of a particular type.

What to do

All known owners of the affected Toyota / Lexus vehicles will be notified by first class mail. Dealers will replace the airbag inflator or the airbag assembly with a newly manufactured one at no cost.

Consumers with questions may call Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987.  

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 1,037 model year 2009 Volkswagen Routans manufactured February 7, 2008, to August 28, 2008.

The air bag control units may corrode and fail resulting in failure of the air bags may to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury. Additionally, the air bags may inadvertently deploy, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

VW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling320,409 model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470; 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia; and 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags.

The recalled vehicles have an air bag control module that may be improperly programmed, causing the side curtain-shield-air bags to deploy inadvertently and increasing the risk of occupant injury.

What to do

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 2, 2016.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-271-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0C and GLB.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 5,070 model year 2016 Lexus RX350 and RX450h vehicles manufactured November 16, 2015, to December 23, 2015.

Due to an improper weld, the gas needed to inflate the driver's knee air bag may escape from the inflator. A defective inflator may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

What to do

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the knee air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 27, 2016.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is GLA.

General Motors is recalling 179,861 model year 2003-2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2002, to February 15, 2011; 2010-2011 Saab 9-5 vehicles manufactured June 23, 2010, to February 21, 2011; and 2008-2009 Saturn Astra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2007, to July 24, 2008.

Upon deployment of the driver's-side front air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator on Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles and will replace the airbag module on Saturn Astra vehicles, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007 or Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 28810.

BMW of North America is recalling 840,000 model year 2008-2013 128i and 135i coupes and convertibles and 1 Series M coupes; 2006-2011 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive Sedans; 2009-2011 335d sedans; 2006-2012 325xiT, 328i and 328xi sports wagons; 2007-2013 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive, 335is and M3 Coupes and Convertibles; 2013-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i and X1 xDrive35i SAVs; 2007-2010 X3 xDrive30i SAVs; 2007-2013 X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i and X5 M SAVs; 2009-2013 BMW X5 xDrive35d SAVs; 2008-2014 X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i, and X6 M SACs; 2010-2011 BMW X6 xDrive50i SACs; and 2008-2011 M3 Sedan vehicles.

Upon deployment of the driver-side front air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's front air bag, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners will be mailed an interim notification beginning March 31, 2016. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 2.23 million model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V; 2011-2015 CR-Z; 2010-2014 FCX Clarity, and Insight; 2009-2013 Fit; 2013-2014 Fit EV; 2007-2014 Ridgeline; 2013-2016 Acura ILX; 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid; 2007-2016 RDX; 2005-2012 Acura RL;2009-2014 Acura TL; and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver front air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. Remedy parts are expected to be available in Fall 2016. Interim notices will be mailed to owners beginning on March 14, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JX2, JX3 and JX4.

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 734 model year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguans manufactured January 15, 2015, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 Audi Q5s manufactured January 13, 2015, to February 3, 2015.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash. Metal fragments could strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69M1 (for Audi) and 69L9 (for VW).

American Honda Motor Company is recalling 341,444 model year 2008-2010 Accords.

The air bag control units may corrode and fail, resulting in a failure of the air bags to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control units, free of charge. Parts are expected to be available in Fall 2016. Interim notifications will be mailed to owners beginning on March 15, 2016, and a second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's number for this recall is JW9.

FCA US LLC (Chrysler) is recalling 112,001 model year 2009 Dodge Journey vehicles manufactured December 31, 2007, to August 31, 2008; 2008-2009 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles manufactured June 18, 2007, to August 31, 2008; and 2009 Volkswagen Routan vehicles manufactured August 11, 2008, to August 31, 2008.

The air bag control units may corrode and fail, which could result in failure of the air bags to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury. Additionally, the air bags may inadvertently deploy, increasing the risk of a crash.

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S07.

There is no end in sight for the Takata airbag crisis. As the number of recalls continues to grow, consumers and Congress grow restless, and safety advocates call for criminal prosecutions and imprisonment of top executives.

In the latest development, Honda said it is expanding its recall of late-model Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with the devices, possibly adding as many as 2.3 million vehicles to the recall list. The company told dealers of the decision last week and is expected to make it public today (Thursday).

With as many as 60 million defective airbag inflators potentially on the recall list, Takata Corp. faces an uncertain future. The staggering cost of the recalls is expected to endanger the company's future even as the plodding pace of the recall endangers the lives of consumers everytime they take the wheel. CEO Shigehisa Takada, grandson of the company's founder, may be forced to resign as the amount of money needed to carry out the recalls continues to rise, recent reports have said.

Jail time

Of course, there are worse things than resigning. Going to prison is one of them -- and that's what safety crusader Clarence Ditlow says should happen. He says the grisly injuries inflicted by the defective Takata airbag inflators are the result of corporate greed and should be punished by a harsh prison sentence.

According to Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, Takata decided in the year 2000 to stop using sodium azide as a propellant in its airbags and replaced it with ammonium nitrate, "an incredibly powerful explosive."

"It’s what Terry McVeigh used to bring down the government office building in Oklahoma City. It’s what a lot of terrorists in the Mideast are using in the improvised explosive devices. And so, yet this propellant that Takata used, it was known to degrade, known to explode, they put it into the airbag inflator to save, once again, a few pennies per inflator," Ditlow said in a radio interview.

Obama urged to act

In the U.S. Senate, Democrats Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) urged President Obama to recall every vehicle with airbags using ammonium nitrate as their propellant, and to use “every tool at his disposal” to accelerate the repair of all vehicles with potentially-lethal Takata airbags.

The renewed calls for action follow the December death of Joel Knight in South Carolina, who was killed when his truck struck a stray cow. Instead of cushioning the impact from the wreck, the airbag ruptured, firing shrapnel into Mr. Knight’s neck and killing him, The New York Times reported.

The senators said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) "has consistently deferred to Takata," allowing some automakers to take voluntary rather than mandatory actions to recall and replace defective airbags and later by limited mandatory recalls to "high-humidity" states on the theory that the problem would not occur in low-humidity climates.

"This, coupled with NHTSA’s willingness to allow Takata to take until the end of 2018 to prove that ammonium nitrate is safe in existing airbags; and until 2019 to show that the latest models of the inflators that use the compound are safe, is an outrageous dereliction of NHTSA’s basic duty to protect consumers,” the senators said in a letter to Obama.

As of the end of December 2015, 23 million airbags in 19 million vehicles had been recalled in the U.S. Two weeks ago, Takata agreed to recall another 5.1 million inflators and Honda is expected to recall another 2.3 million today.

Most of the recalls have not yet been carried out. It's estimated that only about a third of the potentially deadly inflators have actually been replaced.

Mazda is recalling approximately 19,000 model year 2004-2006 model year B-Series trucks with Takata driver-side front air bag inflators in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Saipan.

There have been no reports of accidents or injuries on the Mazda-badged vehicles subject to this recall.

Model year 2007-2009 B-Series Trucks with Takata passenger-side front air bag inflators are part of a previous recall.

The following Mazda models with passenger- and/or driver-side front Takata air bag inflators are currently being recalled:

• Total Number of Driver’s frontal air bag inflator - 442,266
• Total Number of Passenger’s frontal air bag inflator - 416,475
• 2003-2008 Mazda6
• 2004-2006 B-Series
• 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6
• 2004-2008 RX-8 (All Driver-side / Certain Passenger-side)
• 2004 MPV (Certain Vins only. Click here to see if your vehicle is included.)

Consumers with questions may contact Tamara Mlynarczyk at 202-467-5092 or Jeremy Barnes, 949-727-6844.

The death of a Ford pickup truck driver has touched off a massive recall of about 5 million additional vehicles equipped with Takata airbags. The new recalls include vehicle manufactured by Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Ford, who had escaped previous recalls.

The recalls are based on continuing tests of the Takata airbags and on the investigation in to the death of a South Carolina man whose 2006 Ford Ranger struck a cow in Georgia, Automotive News reported.

The truck's airbags deployed and the driver was struck by flying metal parts from the airbag inflator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

The latest recall brings the total number of vehicles recalled because of Takata airbag inflators to 28 million worldwide, 24 million in the U.S. 

About 4 million other vehicles will be recalled due to additional testing on Takata airbags, including vehicles from Honda, VW and other automakers, NHTSA said today.

Takata has been fined $70 million for safety violations and could face additional penalties of up to $130 million. 

Mazda North American Operations is recalling 374,519 model year 2003-2008 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured May 29, 2002, to May 5, 2008, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles manufactured July 1, 2005, to June 29, 2007, and a limited production of model year 2004 RX-8 vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, to June 30, 2003.

The inflators in the front passenger air bags are susceptible to rupture in the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the front passenger air bag.

A rupture could result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's frontal air bag with a new one, free of charge.

Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9015L.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 126,260 model year 2008-2009 C300 Sedan, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, and C350 vehicles, and 2010 GLK350 and GLK350 4Matic vehicles.

Due to a manufacturing error, the air bag control unit may corrode and cause the control unit to malfunction. The malfunctioning air bag control unit may cause the air bags to unexpectedly deploy increasing the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

Alternatively, the air bag control unit malfunction may cause the air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bag control unit and replace it, as necessary, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

Millions of cars have been recalled, at least six people have been killed, hundreds have been injured and Takata has been fined up to $200 million because of an apparent defect that can cause airbags to explode and hurl pieces of metal into cars' passenger compartments.

Yet, automakers have largely stuck with Takata, continuiing to install its equipment in new cars even as they work to carry out the expensive and time-consuming recalls of millions of existing cars.

But Honda has finally broken with Takata, saying it will no longer use the company's front driver or passenger airbag inflaters in new models, alleging the Japanese company misrepresented and manipulated test data, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

“Honda expects its suppliers to act with integrity at all times and we are deeply troubled by this apparent behavior by one of our suppliers,” the automaker said in a prepared statement. 

Honda, which owns a small part of Takata and is its largest customer, said it had reviewed millions of pages of internal Takata documents and found that it had manipulated test results and misrepresented safety data.

Earlier in the day, Takata CEO Shigehisa Takada said the company would stop using ammonium nitrate propellant in its inflaters, replacing it with guanidine nitrate, which is thought to be safer. Another Takata executive denied Honda's allegations of manipulated data, saying it "did not happen."

Airbag manufacturer Takata has been hit with a $200 million fine, the largest civil penalty in the history of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Takata was also ordered to accelerate recalls of defective airbag inflators and ordered to phase out the use of ammonium nitrate propellant, the chemical thought to be the cause of explosive airbat ruptures that have killed at least seven people in the United States and injured nearly 100 more.

“For years, Takata has built and sold defective products, refused to acknowledge the defect, and failed to provide full information to NHTSA, its customers, or the public,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “The result of that delay and denial has harmed scores of consumers and caused the largest, most complex safety recall in history. Today’s actions represent aggressive use of NHTSA’s authority to clean up these problems and protect public safety.”

The consent order issued to Takata also lays out a schedule for recalling all Takata ammonium nitrate inflators now on the roads, unless the company can prove they are safe or can show it has determined why its inflators are prone to rupture.

Aware of the defect

As part of the consent order, Takata has admitted that it was aware of a defect but failed to issue a timely recall, a violation of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

NHTSA also issued findings that Takata provided NHTSA with selective, incomplete or inaccurate data dating back to at least 2009, and continuing through the agency’s current investigation, and that Takata also provided its customers with selective, incomplete or inaccurate data.

Of that $200 million fine, $70 million is payable in cash. An additional $130 million would become due if Takata fails to meet its commitments or if additional violations of the Safety Act are discovered.

The order also imposes what NHTSA called "unprecedented oversight" on Takata for the next five years, including an independent monitor selected by NHTSA to assess, track and report the company’s compliance with the phase-out schedule.

“Today, we are holding Takata responsible for its failures, and we are taking strong action to protect the traveling public,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. “We are accelerating Takata recalls to get safe air bags into American vehicles more quickly, ensuring that consumers at the greatest risk are protected, and addressing the long-term risk of Takata’s use of a suspect propellant.”

"Pivot point"

In a prepared statement, Takata CEO Shigehisa Takada said he "deeply regret[s] the circumstances that led to this Consent Order."

"This settlement is an important step forward for Takata that will enable us to focus on rebuilding the trust of automakers, regulators and the driving public," Takada said. "We will comply with all aspects of the settlement and are committed to being part of the solution.”  

Prioritize recalls

In addition, Takata and the 12 vehicle manufacturers involved in the existing Takata recalls are ordered to prioritize their remedy programs based on risk, and establishes a schedule by which they must have sufficient parts on hand to remedy the defect for all affected vehicles. 

NHTSA is using for the first time legal authority which was established in the 2000 TREAD Act to allow the agency to accelerate safety defect repairs if manufacturers’ remedy plans are likely to put Americans at risk.

NHTSA announced in June that it was considering use of that authority, and has since gathered information and comment from vehicle manufacturers, parts suppliers and the public as part of a proceeding to determine whether and how to best address recalls involving more than 23 million inflators, 19 million vehicles and 12 automakers.

American Honda Motor Company is recalling 515 model year 2016 CR-Vs manufactured October 12, 2015, to October 19, 2015.

The metal housing surrounding the driver's air bag inflator in these vehicles may have been manufactured incorrectly. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's front air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 4, 2015.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009. Honda’s number for this recall is JV9.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 303,904 model year 2008-2009 Honda Accord vehicles manufactured January 22, 2007, to June 30, 2008.

The side impact sensor calibrations may be overly sensitive, and as a result, the side air bag inflatable curtains and/or seat air bags may unexpectedly deploy when the ignition is on and the door is slammed or there is an impact with road debris. Air bags that unexpectedly deploy increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control unit software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on December 14, 2015.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JV4.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 306 model year 2016 Tacoma trucks manufactured August 20, 2015, to September 10, 2015.

Incorrect bolts were used to install the driver's knee air bag module. The bolts may loosen over time and affect the performance of the driver's knee air bag, increasing the risk of driver injury during a crash that necessitates deployment of the air bags.

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install the correct driver's knee air bag module mounting bolts, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by December 12, 2015.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is F0T.

General Motors is recalling 395 model year 2015 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, and GMC Terrain vehicles.

The vehicles have front seat-mounted side impact air bags whose inflator may rupture upon its deployment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of one or both of the side impact air bags, the air bag's inflator may rupture and the air bag may not properly inflate. The rupture could cause metal fragments to strike the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death. Additionally, if the air bag does not properly inflate, the driver or passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side impact air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015.

Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 01320.

What with the dirty diesel scandal and all those defective ignition switches, Volkswagen and General Motors have had their share of problems lately, but there may be more on the way.

Federal safety regulators say newer side airbags in some VW and GM models may be at risk of rupturing violently, just like the older front airbags that have led to recalls of 19 million cars made by 12 automakers.

At a briefing yesterday, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mark Rosekind, said it is not yet known how many vehicles could be affected, but the agency's investigation has been expanded to include newer airbags and side airbags.

The problem with the Takata inflaters is that they can rupture violently, spewing small, shrapnel-like pieces of metal into the passenger compartment. At least eight deaths and hundreds of injuries have been attributed to the problem.

The investigation began to expand over the summer when a Takata side airbag in a 2015 VW Tiguan ruptured. Last weekend, General Motors recalled about 400 cars after Takata said the side airbags used in the affected models had failed its safety tests.

NHTSA officials now say their investigation does not include all Takata inflaters that use ammonium nitrate as a propellant. 

Takata said it is cooperating in the investigation. 

Toyota Motor Sales, USA is recalling approximately 310 Model Year 2016 Tacoma Pickup Trucks.

The driver’s knee air bag module may have been attached to the instrument panel with incorrect bolts, resulting in the bolts loosening over time. A loosened bolt could affect the performance of the knee air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Vehicles owners will be notified by first class mail and Toyota dealers will replace the bolts with bolts of the correct specification.

Consumers may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Lexus Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987.  

Land Rover is recalling 5,914 model year 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport vehicles manufactured December 16, 2013, to April 15, 2014.

The owner's handbook information may incorrectly describe the functionality of the Air Bag Status Indicator Lamp. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

An occupant who does not correctly understand the air bag functionality, may be at an increased risk of injury in a crash.

Land Rover will notify owners and send out an owner's handbook supplement to all affected owners, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 31, 2015.

Owners may call Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's recall number is P071.

Mitsubishi Motors North America is recalling 13,558 model year 2014 Mitsubishi Mirages manufactured July 27, 2013, to November 20, 2013, and 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV vehicles manufactured October 28, 2011, to September 7, 2012.

Due to an increased resistance in the impact sensor for the air bag system, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal, side and/or curtain air bags when the SRS warning is illuminated, the frontal air bag may have a delayed deployment and/or the side and curtain air bag may not deploy at all.

An air bag that does not deploy or deploys late, increases the risk of occupant injury.

Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected impact sensors, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-15-011.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 37 model year 2003 Odyssey vehicles manufactured August 28, 2002, to August 30, 2002.

The vehicles were manufactured with air bag modules, preventing them from meeting the advanced air bag safety standards. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Air bags that do not meet the safety requirements increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.

Honda will notify owners, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 6, 2015.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JU0.

General Motors is recalling 5,493 model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Impalas manufactured April 15, 2013, to June 19, 2015, equipped with front vented-heated passenger seats.

The Automatic Occupant Sensing (AOS) system may fail to suppress the front passenger air bag if a child seat is in the front passenger seat. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

If the front passenger air bag deploys with a child seat in the front passenger seat, the risk of injury to the child is increased.

GM will notify owners, and dealers will correct the calibration-learning error by preconditioning the empty seat, and also resetting the ECU to a seat zero-value, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15400.

Volvo Cars of N.A. is recalling 3,911 model year 2016 Volvo XC90 vehicles manufactured January 27, 2015, to July 10, 2015.

The third row seating side curtain air bags may not inflate fully.

Underinflated air bags may not fully protect third row occupants, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will modify the D-pillar interior panels to allow full inflation of the third row airbags, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on September 14, 2015.

Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-201-768-7300.

Another chapter in the Takata airbag scandal opened yesterday with the revelation that an airbag in a 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan had exploded after the car hit a deer. Previously, similar incidents have been confined to older cars.

Now, two U.S. senators who sit on the Senate panel that has been looking into the Takata situation are asking for the recall of all cars equipped with Takata airbags.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.),,today called on the airbag manufacturer to voluntarily recall all vehicles with Takata airbags and to immediately make public data related to the testing of Takata’s airbags, so that it can be reviewed by independent experts and analysts.

Argument not persuasive

Takata has denied that the Tiguan incident is linked to earlier explosions that sent shrapnel into passenger compartments causing deaths and injuries,but that explanation isn't being well-received by Blumenthal and Markey, as they make clear in a letter,to Takata.

“As new reports surface of explosions in the latest models of Takata airbags, we write to express our deep concern over the obfuscation and delay that your company has engaged in while searching for a root cause of these defects," the senators said.

"Takata’s defective airbags have already caused at least eight deaths and more than one-hundred injuries in the United States – numbers that may increase as further cases come to light – and it is essential for your company to do all it can to identify and address the cause of this problem."

17 million so far

More than 17 million older cars have already been recalled because they contain Takata airbags similar to those that have exploded. Takata initially said the problem was limited to regions with high heat and humidity but the recalls were later expanded nationally.

"In light of the most recent incident, which did not occur in one of the regions originally designated as “high humidity,” and which involved a 2015 vehicle not currently subject to recall, we urge you to voluntarily recall,all,vehicles containing Takata airbags,” the senators' letter concluded.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into the Tiguan incident and has ordered VW and Takata to answer a series of questions and provide data that may help investigators get to the bottom of the problem.

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Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 284,153 model year 2011-2014 Dodge Chargers manufactured May 6, 2010, to June 5, 2014.

The side impact sensor calibrations may be overly sensitive, and as a result, the side air bag inflatable curtains and seat air bags may unexpectedly deploy and the seat belt pre-tensioners may activate, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the Occupant Restraint Control module calibration, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R35.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 667,406 model year 2013-2015 Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks manufactured June 20, 2012, to January 26, 2015.

The side impact sensor calibrations may be overly sensitive, and as a result, the side air bag inflatable curtains and seat air bags may deploy unexpectedly and the seat belt pre-tensioners may activate. Air bags that deploy unexpectedly increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the Occupant Restraint Control module calibration, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R23.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 1,060,531 model year 2012-2014 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 trucks manufactured January 18, 2011, to October 7, 2014, and equipped with the Electronic Vehicle Information Center option.

The vehicles have a steering wheel wiring harness that may rub against the driver air bag module retainer spring. This abrasion could result in an electrical short that could cause driver's frontal air bag to unexpectedly deploy. Inadvertent deployment of the air bag may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, repair as necessary, and secure the steering wheel wiring harness. Additionally, protective caps will be added to the air bag retainer spring ends. These repairs will be done free of charge. The recall is expected to begin September 19, 2015.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R36.

Ferrari North America is recalling 814 model year 2015 Ferrari 458 Italia, 458 Spider, 458 Speciale, 458 Speciale A, California T, FF, F12 Berlinetta, and LaFerrari vehicles manufactured December 19, 2014, to April 29, 2015.

The vehicles may be equipped with a driver side air bag module that was improperly assembled, which can cause the air bag to deploy in a rotated orientation. In the event of a crash, the deployment of the driver's air bag in a rotated orientation increases the risk of injury.

Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front Driver's Side Air Bag Module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on July 30, 2015.

Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-866-551-2828. Ferrari's number for this recall is 57.

For Honda, the long airbag nightmare just keeps getting worse. The Japanese automaker has already recalled 20 million cars made with Takata airbags, blamed for killing at least eight people, and now the company says it used inflators made by ARC Automotive Corp.

The National Highway Traffic Safeway Administration (NHTSA) said earlier this week that it was opening an investigation into a couple of recent accidents involving ARC airbags.

Honda said it used ARC inflators from 2000 to 2001 and is checking how many vehicles are involved and whether there is a need to recall them. ARC Automotive, based in Knoxville, Tenn., said it is cooperating with investigators.

“This shows the difficulty of making safe inflators,” said Takeshi Miyao, an analyst at researcher Carnorama in Tokyo, according to a report in Automotive News. “The authorities and the industry have also become more sensitive about the matter of airbag safety due to the Takata issue.” 

Not many complaints but ...

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said Tuesday that it received a complaint back in 2009 involving a driver's side airbag in a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan. The inflator reportedly ruptured, spraying bits of metal into the cabin. ODI found no other incidents at that time.

Then last month, Korean automaker KIA notified ODI that it was a target of a lawsuit claiming that the inflator in the driver's side airbag in a 2004 Optima had ruptured. ODI said it went back to the 2009 report and found the inflators in the airbags in both the Town and Country and the Optima were manufactured by ARC Automotive.

The inflator in both airbags was a hybrid design that relies on two different sources of energy. The inflator fills the air bag cushion by releasing an inert gas stored in the inflator at high pressure. This gas mixture is augmented by an ammonium nitrate based propellant.

“Preliminary analysis indicates that the exhaust path for the inflation gas mixture may have been blocked by an object of indeterminate origin,” ODI said in a document filing. “This blockage appears to have caused high internal pressure and subsequent rupture of the inflator assembly.”

Has your airbag been recalled?

All the publicity surrounding the Takata airbag recall has many consumers worried about whether they may be driving around with an explosive device in their dashboard that's just waiting to spray them with metal fragments.

After all, many recalled cars are never taken in to dealers and used car owners, in particular, can't be sure their car is up to snuff.

What can you do?

To check specifically on airbags, see the Center for Auto Safety's website. It has a 45-page .pdf list of U.S. airbag recalls arranged by auto manufacturer.

You can check for all types of recalls by typing your VIN number into NHTSA's Recall Look-Up form.

Subaru of America is recalling 32,400 2012 model year Subaru Impreza 4-Door and Station Wagon vehicles (except WRX/STI models) manufactured April 21, 2011, to February 16, 2012.

The Occupant Detection System (ODS) may deactivate if a front seat passenger operates a device that is plugged into the power outlet such as a music player or cell phone, or touches a metal part of the vehicle such as the forward/rearward seat adjuster lever.

If the ODS deactivates, the front passenger air bag will be turned off and the front passenger air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Occupant Control Unit with a modified one, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQT-55.

Hot on the heels of recalls of millions of cars equipped with Takata airbags, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has begun an investigation of another brand of airbag component that may have a similar defect.

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) reports it received a complaint back in 2009 involving a driver's side airbag in a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan. The inflator reportedly ruptured, spraying bits of metal into the cabin.

ODI said it searched for similar incidents but found none. Fast forward to last month, as recalls of cars equipped with Takata airbags piled up.

KIA target of suit

In June, Korean automaker KIA notified ODI that it was a target of a lawsuit claiming that the inflator in the driver's side airbag in a 2004 Optima had ruptured. ODI said it went back to the 2009 report and found the inflators in the airbags in both the Town and Country and the Optima were manufactured by ARC Automotive.

The inflator in both airbags was a hybrid design that relies on two different sources of energy. The inflator fills the air bag cushion by releasing an inert gas stored in the inflator at high pressure. This gas mixture is augmented by an ammonium nitrate based propellant.

“Preliminary analysis indicates that the exhaust path for the inflation gas mixture may have been blocked by an object of indeterminate origin,” ODI said in a document filing. “This blockage appears to have caused high internal pressure and subsequent rupture of the inflator assembly.”

Only two reports

ODI said that as far as it knows, the two incidents – one in Ohio and one in New Mexico – are the only ones to have been reported. It also says the root cause of the rupture is not known.

ODI said it is opening the investigation to collect the facts and learn if there is a widespread flaw in inflators. It says there are approximately 420,000 2002 Chrysler Town and Country vehicles on the road and 70,000 2004 KIA Optimas.

Japanese manufacturer Takata has recalled more than 40 million vehicles in the U.S. because of exploding airbag inflators. The pieces of metal blasted into passenger compartments are blamed for more than 100 injuries and eight deaths.

The Takata-related recall drama has played out throughout 2015. The problem first came to light late last year, but from the start NHTSA found the manufacturer's cooperation lacking. In February it leveled a $14,000 a day fine against the firm until it provided additional documentation.

It was not until May, under intense prodding from NHTSA, that Takata ordered the first recall.

Chrysler (FCA US) is recalling 88,346 model year 2008-2010 Dodge Challengers manufactured September 19, 2007, to October 29, 2010.

The dual-stage driver front air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's front air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's front air bag inflator, free of charge. Parts to remedy the vehicles are not currently available. Interim notices will be mailed to owners beginning August 14, 2015. Owners will be sent a second notice when remedy parts become available.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R37.

Mazda North American Operations is recalling  444,907 model year 2003-2008 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured May 29, 2002, to May 5, 2008; 2004-2008 RX-8 vehicles manufactured April 10, 2003, to February 18, 2008; and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles manufactured August 4, 2005, to June 29, 2007.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver front air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 8215F.

As recalls of cars equipped with Takata airbags mount, Takata Corp. President Shigehisa Takada has delivered a personal apology for the deaths and injuries that have resulted from his products' defects.

Takada has previously apologized in written statements, but following the company's annual shareholders meeting in Tokyo, the executive appeared at a press briefing to say his company is reviewing several different ways to help victims, including a fund to compensate them.

“I apologize for not having been able to communicate directly earlier, and also apologize for people who died or were injured,” Takada said. “I feel sorry our products hurt customers, despite the fact that we are a supplier of safety products.”

Supposed to save lives

Airbags, of course, are designed to save lives. In high-impact crashes they deploy with sudden force, providing a cushion of air to protect occupants. In over 30 years of use they have been shown to be extremely effective and are now standard safety equipment on all vehicles.

The problem with the Takata airbag is that more than air comes shooting out of them when they deploy. Bits of loose metal can also be fired from the inflator, with incredible force, into the bodies of the occupants. These bits of shrapnel have been blamed for 8 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

The family of the eighth victim of a lethal airbag, 26-year old Jewel Brangman, has sued a rental car company, claiming it ignored recall notices for the car in which the victim died. The car had been recalled back in 2009 but its owner, Sunset Car Rental of San Diego, had never bothered to take the car in to have the recall carried out, the suit alleges.

More Toyotas recalled

Meanwhile, more cars with Takata airbags are receiving recall notices. Toyota has announced it is expanding its recall, adding approximately 1,365,000 additional 2003-2007 Corolla and Corolla Matrix; 2005-2006 Tundra; 2005-2007 Sequoia; 2003-2007 Lexus SC430 vehicles to the list.

That makes nearly 3 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles with Takata airbags recalled so far.

While Toyota is a major Takata customer, so is Honda, whose total number of recalls thus far has outpaced Toyota's. In fact, the Takata airbag is so widespread that as many as 30 million cars on U.S. highways, from a wide range of automakers, have received recall notices.

Meanwhile, we don't really know why the inflators on Takata airbags are prone to firing bits of metal when they deploy. Takada told his company's shareholders an internal investigation so far has not come up with a definitive answer.

Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) is recalling 459,618 model year 2000-2005 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 5, 1999, to December 17, 2004; 2001-2005 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured January 19, 2000, to March 18, 2005; 2001-2005 Chrysler Sebring vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 21, 2005; and 2001-2005 Dodge Stratus vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 22, 2005.

The passenger side sun visor may be folded down in such a position that, if the passenger frontal air bag deploys, the passenger side sun visor may detach. If the passenger side sun visor detaches and is propelled rearward, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.

MMNA will notify their owners, and Chrysler will notify the Chrysler and Dodge owners. Dealers will install a tether strap to retain the passenger sun visor, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Chrysler and Dodge owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-15-005.

Chrysler (FCA US) is recalling 73 model year 2015 Dodge Challengers manufactured March 28, 2015, to April 1, 2015.

The driver's side air bag inflated curtain (SABIC) may have a loose or missing rear mounting bolt. A loose or missing SABIC rear mounting bolt may alter the air bag inflated curtain's deployment, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a side impact or roll-over crash.

Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the vehicles, as needed, free of charge. The recall began on May 28, 2015.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R22.

Mazda North American Operations is recalling 27,149 model year 2004-2006 Mazda B-series light trucks manufactured from April 17, 2003, through May 2, 2006.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with a passenger side front air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon deployment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the the passenger side frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by the end of July 2015.

Owners may contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 8315F.  

Mazda North American Operations is recalling 444,907 model year 2003-2008 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured May 29, 2002, to May 5, 2008; 2004-2008 RX-8 vehicles manufactured April 10, 2003, to February 18, 2008; and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles manufactured August 4, 2005, to June 29, 2007.

The vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Vehicles that have had their driver's frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well.

Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 7914J.