In Virginia, over 300,000 recalled Takata airbags remain on the road in vehicles representing 19 vehicle manufacturers.
SafeAirbags.com, an organization notifying owners about this urgent airbag safety recall, is urging owners and drivers of affected vehicles to immediately schedule an appointment for a free recall repair to prevent potentially serious injuries, or even death.
Affected vehicles include those made by BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ferrari, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Scion, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Dealerships around the country have replacement parts available, and the free recall repair should take about one to a few hours depending on vehicle make and model.
Here’s what you can do if your car is about of this recall:
- Owners affected by the Takata airbag recall should immediately schedule a free recall repair at a local dealership.
- Owners uncertain whether their vehicles are part of the Takata airbag recall can easily check a vehicle’s identification number by visitingthis link.
- A free smartphone app, Airbag Recall, is available for download, enabling owners to take a picture of a license plate to determine if their vehicle, or a family member or friend’s vehicle, is under recall.
A defective part inside the airbag can explode when the airbag deploys, potentially shooting sharp metal fragments at the driver and passengers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has confirmed that 16 people in the U. S. have been killed, and hundreds of others alleged to have been injured, by this defect.
“In September of 2013, l was driving home when a vehicle pulled out in front of me. Our cars collided. The airbag deployed. But instead of protecting me, its inflator ruptured, shooting a piece of metal into my right eye. I suffered a serious injury and my vision will never be the same,” said Stephanie Erdman, victim of defective Takata airbag inflator. “I urge you to go online to check if your car’s Takata airbag inflators have been recalled. Trust me, even waiting a day to bring your vehicle in for the recall repair could be the difference between life and death.”
A recall awareness campaign is underway to help stress the urgent need to have these defective airbags repaired. In addition to official recall notice letters sent directly from vehicle manufacturers, owners are receiving notification through postcards, emails, social media, and other forms of communication urging them to contact their dealer to schedule an appointment for a free recall repair.
Dealerships in Virginia generally have replacement parts available, and the free recall repair should take about one to a few hours depending on vehicle make and model.
“More than 17 million airbags recalled have not been repaired,” said Patrick Juneau of SafeAirbags.com. Juneau was appointed by a Federal court in Florida to administer an outreach program aimed at repairing these defective airbags. “Unfortunately, many consumers are not taking immediate action, either because they have been ignoring safety recall notices, or do not understand the severity of the situation.”
