6 million vehicles still contain recalled Takata air bags: How to see if your car is affected
Data shows there are over 6 million U.S. vehicles that still have Takata airbags, a decade after millions of the airbags were under a mandated recall due to a risk of injury and death.
In a report released Wednesday, Carfax says its vehicle history data shows 6.4 million vehicles still contain Takata airbags. Of those, more than 2.5 million, or 40%, are located in states that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls Zone A, which are states that "pose the highest threat to safety" because of their high heat and humidity.
Those states are: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.
The NHTSA's Takata page lists the current number of unrepaired Takata air bags as 6,171,267. More than 45 million air bags have been repaired, NHTSA data shows.
Carfax also says 14 states each have 150,000 or more unfixed vehicles with Takata airbags. Those states are: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.
Tens of millions of vehicles with Takata airbags are under recall, according to the NHTSA, which said long-term exposure to high heat and humidity can cause these air bags to explode when deployed, which have caused injuries and deaths.
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Nissan issues 'do not drive' warning to vehicles with Takata airbags
On Wednesday, Nissan issued a "do not drive" warning to owners of over 80,000 older vehicles for a defect with Takata air bag inflators, reporting that one person has died and 58 others injured after air bag inflator-related ruptures, according to Director of Product Communications at Nissan, Dominic Vizor.
Certain vehicles in the following models and years are affected by the "do not drive" warning:
- 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra
- 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder
- 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4
In total, 83,920 Nissan vehicles are affected by the notice.
How to check for a Takata airbag in your car
The NHTSA says approximately 76 million Takata airbags have been recalled because they can explode when deployed, causing serious injury or death. Here's how to check if your car has one:
- Check for recalls using your vehicle identification number (VIN)
- Look for your car on the NHTSA's list of affected vehicles, which is sorted by make
- Call your local dealer for a free repair
- Sign up for recall alerts about future recalls.