Airbag Safety and Recalls

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is pushing an airbag manufacturer to recall 52 million inflators because the agency says they could explode. The manufacturer, ARC, has so far refused to issue a recall.

NHTSA said it has received reports of seven injuries from exploding airbag inflators and two deaths, one in the U.S. and the other in Canada.

The safety regulator analyzes thousands of consumer complaints before it requests a recall, and a ConsumerAffairs analysis of NHTSA’s complaint database shows there were numerous airbag complaints in August.

Owners of several models, including the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Volkswagen Atlas have reported airbag issues. The common problem is the unavailability of parts needed for recall repairs, leading to safety concerns.

Kia drew the most complaints last month – 51 – compared to 36 for Nissan, which was second in the complaint department. Some of the complaints centered on engine and cooling system defects in the 2017 Kia Sorento.

Outright engine failure

The complaints ranged from overheating to outright engine failure. But other brands drew similar complaints, including the 2017 Dodge Charger, 2020 Toyota RAV4, and 2014-2018 Ram 1500.

The most common safety defect reported by Kia owners was excessive oil consumption in various Kia models from 2016 to 2023. The defect has been reported in multiple models including the Kia Sedona, Forte, Soul, Sorento, and Optima.

There were steering and brake problems reported for the 2014 Ford Focus, 2017 Hyundai Elantra, and 2022 Honda Civic. Owners of those vehicles reported issues with power steering failure, making the steering wheel difficult to turn and posing a significant safety risk. 

At the same time, owners of the 2010 Lincoln MKZ and 2019 and 2020 Nissan Sentra models reported brake-related issues, affecting the vehicle's ability to stop or slow down.

Electrical issues

 Another common theme in the August complaints related to various vehicles’ electrical systems, including problems with the vehicle's battery, alternator, and electrical wiring. A common theme across multiple car brands including Chevrolet, GMC, Volkswagen, Buick, and Ram is the unavailability of parts for recall repairs.

The top five makes and models drawing complaints last month are:

For most folks, June means summertime -- picnics, vacations and outdoors fun.

For those in a handful of states, it's also time to check for dangerous airbag recalls.

Governors in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Texas have declared June Airbag Recall Repair Month. There are currently more than 7.1 million vehicles on the road with at least one unrepaired, recalled airbag.

A recall of historic proportions

After 14 years, 24 deaths and more than 400 injuries, the United States is still dealing with Takata airbags -- the largest vehicle safety recall in its history.

When exposed over time to heat and humidity, these recalled airbags can transform from life-saving devices to life-threatening ones. In a crash, defective airbag inflators can rupture, sending metal shrapnel through the vehicle that can cause serious injury, disfiguration or death.

The campaign, in partnership with local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealers and other Check To Protect Coalition members, aims to encourage drivers of all vehicles to make safety a priority by taking immediate action to prevent serious injury and death.

If saving your life isn't enough incentive, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram are giving away a $50 prepaid Mastercard for airbag repairs made in June.

Driving at risk

Due to a heightened risk of an airbag rupture, owners of certain recalled Chrysler and Dodge vehicles received a notification last November to stop driving their vehicles until their driver-side airbag is replaced. Chrysler and Dodge dealerships may either arrange for mobile repair at a person's home or send a complimentary tow truck.

Vehicle owners in communities of color, rural communities and low-income communities are disproportionately affected, as they are less likely to have the information, flexibility and access to repair recalls

Additionally, many owners of older or used vehicles may not be receiving recall notifications if their current ownership and address are not on file with the state or the automaker.

What to do

Visit CheckToProtect.org and enter a license plate number or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which is a 17-character ID found on the driver's side dashboard, side-door or most vehicle registration and insurance documents.

Schedule a free recall repair appointment at a local dealership.

If you have an airbag recall or any other safety recalls, follow the link to find your closest authorized dealership and schedule your repair. Recall repairs are always free at authorized dealerships, regardless of whether you're the registered owner of the affected vehicle.

Repairs can take as little as 30 minutes.

Many dealers provide complimentary transportation while vehicles are being repaired, and others have mobile repair service that bring the airbag repair service to a driver's home.

Years after millions of cars with Takata airbags were recalled because of faulty inflators, federal safety regulators claim another company’s airbag inflators have a similar problem and pose a threat to consumers.

In a letter to ARC Automotive, of Knoxville, Tenn., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said its investigation had concluded that certain air bag inflators designed by the company were prone to rupture and asked the company to issue a recall.

“NHTSA is issuing this recall request letter to notify you that the agency has tentatively concluded that a defect related to motor vehicle safety exists in the frontal driver and passenger air bag inflators under investigation that were produced before installation of borescopes on all toroidal inflator manufacturing lines in January 2018 (“subject inflators”), and to demand that ARC issue a Part 573 Recall Report addressing that safety defect,” the letter states.

ARC Automotive issued a statement saying that its inflators do not have a defect. It said the issue stems from the way the airbags are manufactured.

"We disagree with NHTSA's new sweeping request when extensive field testing has found no inherent defect," the company said in a statement.

How NHTSA sees the problem

But NHTSA characterizes the issue this way:

“ARC’s inflator design is such that during a triggered deployment, the stored gas, excited by the propellant, has a single path through the exit orifice to exit the inflator and fill the airbag cushion. Should any debris of sufficient size be in the inflator center support, the exit orifice could become blocked. Blockage of the exit orifice could cause over-pressurization of the airbag inflator. Over-pressurization of the inflator has the potential to cause it to rupture resulting in metal fragments being forcefully propelled into the passenger compartment.”

According to NHTSA, General Motors has issued a recall for almost 1 million vehicles that have airbags with ARC inflators. The recall covers certain Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia SUVs.

NHTSA says at least two deaths have been reported in the U.S. and Canada caused by ruptured inflators. It has counted at least seven injuries linked to the inflators.

Under U.S. law, federal regulatory agencies do not have the authority to order a recall. The recall must be initiated by the company.

A decade after Takata airbags began exploding, killing and injuring car drivers and passengers, thousands of vehicles equipped with these deadly devices are still on the road. And the death toll continues to rise.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports five deaths so far this year. Three of the fatalities occurred recently in Stellantis (Chrysler) vehicles. In November Stellantis issued an urgent recall of 276,000 vehicles with Takata airbags. To date, only 2,000 have been repaired, the automaker said.

Takata airbags are deadly because the device designed to inflate the airbag on impact degrades over time and can explode, sending metal particles flying through the cabin. The airbags are usually found in older cars and can sometimes deploy without the vehicle being in a collision.

When it issued its recall last month, Chrysler said the airbags were so dangerous that the vehicles should not be driven until they are repaired. The Do Not Drive order covers Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Challenger and Charger from the 2005 through 2010 model years.

The latest death occurred in July when the airbag in a 2010 Chrysler 300 exploded, killing the driver who had borrowed the vehicle from a family member.

“Left unrepaired, recalled Takata airbags are increasingly dangerous as the risk of an explosion rises as vehicles age,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said last month. “Every day that passes when you don’t get a recalled airbag replaced, puts you and your family at greater risk of injury or death.”  

What to do

In many cases, the owners of these vehicles are unaware of the danger. Older vehicles may change hands several times so the automaker has no contact information for the current owner.

If you drive an older vehicle, there is an easy way to check to see if your car is covered by the recall. NHTSA has a recall database on its website. You’ll find it here.

Type in the 17-character VIN found on the car’s registration or on the driver’s side dashboard, and learn about any open recalls on the vehicle. If there is a Takata airbag recall, do not drive the vehicle but contact a dealer to arrange a repair.

Joyson is recalling 622,392 HPH-A curtain airbag inflators.

Moisture introduced during the manufacturing process can cause corrosion inside the pressure vessel, causing the inflator to rupture.

An inflator rupture can cause fragments to enter the cabin, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Joyson will work with the affected vehicle manufacturers to replace the curtain air bag module, free of charge.

Purchasers may contact Joyson customer service at (586)726-3800. Joyson's number for this recall is QN10584 and QN20023.

Takata is recalling 67,323 Non-Azide driver-side airbag inflators (NADI).

Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to explode or the airbag cushion to underinflate.

During airbag deployment, an inflator explosion may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants.

An underinflated airbag may not properly protect the occupant.

Either of these situations can increase the risk of serious injury or death.

What to do

Takata will work with the affected vehicle manufacturers who have filed their own recalls, and their dealers will replace the inflators, free of charge.

Ford is recalling 2.7 million older cars and trucks in the U.S. because of issues relating to Takata airbags. The automaker said it would spend $610 million to make the repairs.

The affected vehicles are part of the 2006 to 2012 model years and include the Ford Fusion, Ranger, and Edge; Lincoln/MKZ/Zephyr and MKX; and Mercury Milan. 

In addition to the vehicles being recalled from U.S. roads, the company is recalling about 300,000 cars and trucks in Canada.

Ford revealed the recall Thursday evening in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, noting that it would negatively affect fourth-quarter earnings. Earlier in the week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denied a 2017 petition by Ford seeking to avoid the recall.

Deadly explosion

Takata airbags have resulted in the largest auto recalls in history. Because of a problem with the inflator, there can be a degradation in the propellant over time that causes the airbags to deploy inadvertently.

When that happens, the inflator may explode and send tiny bits of metal throughout the vehicle cabin, posing a lethal threat to the occupants. 

The recalls began in 2014, but automakers were still finding and recalling vehicles with Takata airbags as recently as November. General Motors recalled 7 million 2007-2014 model pickup trucks and SUVs that contain potentially lethal Takata airbags.

Months earlier, Honda and Nissanrecalled a combined 1.3 million vehicles. 

At least 18 deaths in the U.S. have been attributed to the exploding airbags. The incidents have occurred after only slight contact between the car and another object, and sometimes with no contact at all. Safety experts say humid climate conditions, such as those in the Southeastern region of the U.S., are especially conducive to inadvertent airbag deployment.

What you need to know

It is dangerous to drive a vehicle with an open recall for its Takata airbags. The NHTSA has urged vehicle owners to take a few simple steps to protect themselves. 

Since it is mostly older vehicles that are affected by these recalls, automakers may not have up-to-date information about who owns the car or truck, so they may be unable to make contact.

Owners of older vehicles can check to see if they are affected by this issue by using the NHTSA’s online recall database. Click here and enter your vehicle identification number (VIN) in the provided field.

The VIN can be found on the vehicle’s registration and is usually embossed into the dashboard on the driver’s side.

A defective Takata airbag has claimed a 17th life in the United States. Honda has confirmed that the recalled airbag was responsible for a fatality on August 20 in Mesa, Ariz.

Since 2014, when automotive manufacturers using the airbags initially recalled 3 million vehicles, the defective inflators -- which can explode and send tiny bits of metal flying through the inside of a vehicle, are linked to 26 deaths worldwide and 290 injuries.

Today, tens of millions of vehicles with Takata airbags -- mostly older models -- are under a recall order, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The agency said long-term exposure to high heat and humidity can cause these airbags to explode when deployed. 

Vehicles under recall for this safety defect should be repaired immediately, the agency said. Models made before 2015 should be checked for the defect with Honda and Ford vehicles most likely to have installed Takata airbags.

How to check your vehicle

Owners can check to see if their vehicle is affected by entering their vehicle identification number (VIN) here. A vehicle’s VIN can be found on the title or registration. It is also embossed into the dashboard on the driver’s side.

Honda said the vehicle involved in the Aug. 20 accident was a 2002 Honda Civic that had been under a recall since 2011 for airbag inflator replacement. The company said in this particular case it mailed 15 recall notices to the vehicle’s registered owners over a period of eight years.

But tragically, the person who died in the accident was not the registered owner of the vehicle and likely was unaware of the safety hazard the vehicle posed.

Until all of the vehicles with defective airbag inflators are repaired or removed from the road, safety officials warn that deaths and injuries may continue. Meanwhile, earlier this year Honda and Nissanrecalled another 1.3 million vehicles with Takata PSDI-5D driver airbag inflators.

Due to a manufacturing error, the companies said the inflator may not function properly or may explode in a crash that necessitates airbag deployment.

iSi Automotive Austria GmbH is recalling 387 curtain airbags, part numbers 36A 880 741 E, 4M0 880 741 H and 4M0 880 742 H.

The airbags may not properly inflate in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

The vehicle manufacturers that used the affected iSi curtain airbags have filed recalls and dealers for those companies will replace the curtain airbags free of charge.

Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) is recalling 20,000 model year 1998-2000 Monteros.

These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver airbag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant.

Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the airbag cushion to underinflate.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated airbag may not properly protect the occupant. Both increase the risk of serious injury or death.

What to do

The remedy for this recall is still under development.

The recall is expected to begin March 22, 2020.

Owners may contact MMNA customer service at (888) 648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-20-001.