National Airbag Recall

News of the massive airbag recall is making waves across the automotive industry this week as new estimates suggest that over 7.8 million vehicles are potentially affected in the United States alone. Recent reports indicate that four people have been killed and over one hundred and thirty nine have been injured due to the defective Takata airbags.

The Japanese airbags in question contain a metal canister filled with chemical propellant that, when the airbag is deployed, can explode. The propellant causes the canister to rupture, which in turn can cause shrapnel to discharge into the cabin of the vehicle at speeds of over one hundred miles per hour. Accordingly to the results of a recent investigation, Takata has allegedly known about the defective airbags since 2004, but declined to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the time. Takata has blamed the defect on, among other things, rust, faulty welds, and dropped chewing gum; however the Japanese supplier has not announced its final conclusion as to the cause of the defect.

The airbag recall was first announced in April 2013, when only six makes of vehicles were thought to be affected. Expanded recalls were announced in both July and October of this year. To date, eleven additional automakers have been added to the recall list. The following is a complete list of the make, model and year of all the affected vehicles:

Acura: undetermined number of potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2003 CL 2002 – 2003 TL 2003 – 2006 MDX 2005 RL
BMW: 627,615 potentially affected vehicles
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan 2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon 2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible 2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe 2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible
Chrysler/Dodge: 371,309 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 2008 Dodge Ram 5500 2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango 2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota 2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300 2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen
Ford: 58,669 potentially affected vehicles
2004 Ranger 2005 – 2006 GT 2005 – 2007 Mustang
General Motors: undetermined number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe 2005 Saab 9-2X
Honda: 5,051,364 potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord 2001 – 2005 Honda Civic 2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V 2003 – 2011 Honda Element 2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey 2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot 2006 Honda Ridgeline 2003 – 2006 Acura MDX 2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL 2005 Acura RL
Infiniti: undetermined number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35 2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4 2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
Lexus: undetermined number of potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 SC430
Mazda: 64,872 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2007 Mazda6 2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6 2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8 2004 – 2005 MPV 2004 B-Series Truck
Mitsubishi: 11,985 potentially affected vehicles
2004 – 2005 Lancer 2006 – 2007 Raider
Nissan: 694,626 potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima 2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder 2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra 2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35 2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4 2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
Pontiac: undetermined number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Vibe
Saab: undetermined number of potentially affected vehicles
2005 9-2X
Subaru: 17,516 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Baja 2003 – 2005 Legacy 2003 – 2005 Outback 2004 – 2005 Impreza
Toyota: 877,000 potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC 2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla 2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix 2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia 2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra
The list of potentially affected vehicles is growing with each passing day, so continue to monitor the NHTSA website, or call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236, for the most up-to-date information. And if you or a loved one has been injured by a defective airbag, contact The Higgins Firm today to discuss your legal options.