As we reported back in October, airbags produced by the Japanese auto supplier Takata have been massively recalled, and the number of affected vehicles is only growing. The company began manufacturing airbags in 2000 and the recall was first issued in 2008 due to the discovery that the airbags were equipped with faulty inflator mechanisms that caused the airbags to release metal shrapnel when deployed.
While initially only six vehicle makes were found to house that faulty airbags, the number has grown exponentially over the last few months. As of today, the total tally of Takata-related recalls across all brands is around 20 million since the first recall in 2008. This is a staggering number that shows the danger of these Japanese-manufactured airbags and how important it is to make sure your vehicle is not on the updated list of affected models.
Timeline of Takata Airbag Recall
The number of vehicles recalled due to the faulty Takata airbags continues to grow, as there have been more and more people affected by this manufacturing mistake. Here is a look at the timeline of events in 2014 since we last looked at the story:
- October 20th – A major recall was issued that affected vehicles across several brands, including Toyota, Honda, and Chrysler
- November 7th – The New York Times published a report stating that Takata knew about the faulty airbags since 2004. That same day the Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation based on the newspaper’s allegations
- November 18th – Ford issued a nationwide recall of its 2007 Mustang after a recent airbag failure in North Carolina
- November 26th – The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officially demanded a nationwide recall of all vehicles equipped with driver’s-side Takata airbags. At the same time, officials in Japan ask for a recall expansion after an airbag in a car not included in the previous recalls ruptured in testing
- December 2nd – Both Toyota and Honda release statements calling for an industry-wide effort to personally test all Takata airbag inflators
- December 3rd – Honda expands its recall nationwide and information is released revealing high failure rates in Takata’s internal testing
- December 4th – Chrysler, Ford, and Toyota expand their recall to cover all vehicles equipped with Takata airbags. For Chrysler, this includes passenger-side airbags of approximately 150,000 2003 Ram pick-ups
- December 5th – Honda adds 3 million vehicles to its list of affected vehicles and expands its recall to nationwide
To learn more about the Takata airbag recall or to see if your vehicle is included in the growing number of nationwide recalls, please contact your car dealership today. If you have been injured or a loved one has died due to a faulty Takata airbag, please contact AMA Law immediately. Please check back for an update on this growing case in the next few weeks.