Defective Takata Airbags Revealed

After the revelation of the defective Takata airbags in passenger vehicles, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called for a nationwide recall of the airbags. While Toyota and Honda have announced similar recalls, Takata's chairman has said the company's production procedures are being closely scrutinized. And the NHTSA is urging the nationwide expansion of the defective driver's side airbag recall.

When the first reports of the defective airbags inflators hit the news, Takata started researching solutions to the problem. The problem was first discovered when the New York Times published a report on the airbags in 2004. Then, Takata executives ordered the engineers to destroy all data and physical evidence. This was four years before public acknowledgment of the problem. In 2007, a voluntary recall was issued, but many car owners have to wait two years before they find out their airbags are defective.

In addition to the recent recall, Ford has added an additional 900,000 vehicles to its list of affected vehicles. The list now includes 2009-2014 Mustang and Ranger, as well as a number of vehicles not previously recalled by the manufacturer. And that's before Ford has added additional models to its list of affected vehicles. And that's not even including the Pontiac Vibe. As of this writing, there are now over six million vehicles in the U.S. affected by the Takata airbag recall.

The latest incident involved a ruptured Defective Takata Airbags in a 2005 Honda Civic. According to the automaker, the ruptured airbag killed the woman, although the official cause of death is still unknown. The vehicle, which was recalled in May 2015, had not been repaired. If it was recalled after the accident, this would make it the third fatality involving a Takata airbag in Malaysia.

The company has settled with 44 states and the District of Columbia. The company agreed to pay a $650 million civil penalty to automakers, but the attorneys general of the states did not collect this amount. They wanted to maximize the recovery for airbag victims. And while this settlement is good news for consumers, automakers still have concerns about the financial recovery. It remains to be seen if Takata's bankruptcy filing will lead to an expanded compensation program.

As a result of the recall, the automaker has agreed to recall 35-40 million additional front-airbag inflators. These inflators are not desiccated, which means that they lack a drying agent. To ensure their safety, the company must show that desiccated inflators are safe. The company has agreed to recall the defective airbags in phases until December 2019. The exact model of the affected vehicles have not yet been identified, but they are all equipped with Takata inflators.

In response to these fatalities, the Japanese company Honda has announced that it will no longer use the components of the Takata airbags. Honda had been the largest customer of Takata for many years and has now ceased purchasing its inflators. Toyota, Mazda and Subaru are also considering dumping Takata as a supplier of airbags. The company estimates that the recalls will cost them more than $1 billion in lost revenue.