COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A decade after a nationwide recall of Takata airbags, new data from CARFAX shows more than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. still have those airbags. Many of those vehicles are still driven daily, including thousands in Ohio.
“There’s more than 209,000 in Ohio, and there’s almost 60,000 in the Columbus region alone,” said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief of CARFAX.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initially recalled the airbags in 2014, because of the risk they pose for bodily harm or even death.
“The issue with the Takata airbags is that they have a chemical makeup that, normally, will, when you get hit, the chemicals will combine. It will explode and inflate your airbag and protect you and your passengers,” Olsen said. “The problem with these airbags, though, is over time with exposure to heat and humidity — and I’ve been in Columbus in the summer, and I know you’ve got it — it makes that airbag explode with a lot more force than what’s intended, and that can turn the metal ring around an airbag into shrapnel, flying pieces of metal, that can injure drivers and occupants.”
The airbags were installed in vehicles between model years 2001 and 2015, from 19 different automakers. Olsen said vehicle owners affected by the recall have already been notified, but may not realize it.
“They come in the mail, by law,” said Olsen. “Unfortunately, for a lot of consumers, that’s not their primary means of communication anymore. Secondly, there are people who get it in the mail, and they think it is some kind of extended warranty marketing scam. And finally, I think there’s a large group of people who want to get the recall fixed. They put the notice down, and they let it sit. Time goes by, and they think, you know, ‘I must be out of the woods by now. It’s been so long,’ And nothing could be farther from the truth.”
Olsen said vehicle owners can see online if their vehicles are included in the recall. Or, they can call a local dealership.
“Call the dealer first, make sure they have the replacement part,” said Olsen. “But the replacement part itself, for the time for the replacement, is not very long. An hour, two hours tops, and it’s completely for free. You can protect yourself and your family members for free. It’s crucial to get this work done.”