There are about 253 million cars and trucks on U.S. roads today and the vast majority of people driving them have no idea whether their car is subject to a safety recall.
Now, in the wake of Takata's historic recall of 34 million cars and trucks for faulty airbags -- almost 1 in 7 vehicles on the road -- the biggest challenge will be finding all those cars and making sure they are fixed.
With prodding from federal regulators at the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Japanese manufacturer admitted Tuesday that its airbag inflators are defective and agreed to a national recall of certain driver and front passenger side air bags used in 34 million vehicles from 11 different manufacturers. The action doubled the number of cars and trucks that had previously been identified.
"This is unprecedented in the auto industry," said AutoTrader analyst Michelle Krebs, referring to the enormous number of vehicles affected from a wide array of auto manufacturers. "There’s a huge job ahead in terms of tracking down all these vehicles and getting them fixed," she said. KBB's research shows that only one in four visitors to its site were aware of the previous Takata recall, and of those who were aware, three-quarters had not checked to see whether their car was affected.
The airbag inflators were made with a propellant that can degrade over time and has led to ruptures that have been blamed for six deaths worldwide.
“Today is a major step forward for public safety,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “The Department of Transportation is taking the proactive steps necessary to ensure that defective inflators are replaced with safe ones as quickly as possible, and that the highest risks are addressed first. We will not stop our work until every air bag is replaced.”
The newly vigilant National Highway Transportation Safety Administration plans to work with automakers to organize and prioritize vehicles that need to be repaired. Priority will be given to car owners in warm states where humidity is believed to be a factor. The agency also plans to coordinate with Takata and automakers to ensure the public is informed, including a new website where consumers can get more information about this and other recalls.
NHTSA has to wait for manufacturers to identify which vehicles are affected. Then, consumers will be able to use the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) search tool on NHTSA's website to confirm whether their vehicle is being recalled. If your vehicle is affected, NHSTA says consumers should follow up with the manufacturer to get their car fixed as soon as possible.
The airbag recall affects vehicles built by BMW, Chrysler,
