CARFAX: 6.4 MILLION VEHICLES NEED TAKATA AIRBAGS REPLACED - EVEN AFTER 10 YEARS OF RECALLS

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May 29, 2024, 09:00 ET

Data Shows 40% of Them Are in Highest-Risk U.S. States

CENTREVILLE, Va., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten years after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mandated the recall of Takata airbags nationwide because of the risk they pose for bodily harm – or even death – to occupants, more than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. still have those airbags, according to CARFAX data.

Map of states where vehicles have unfixed Takata airbags.

More than 2.5 million – roughly 40% of all these unfixed vehicles – are located in states that NHTSA calls Zone A, according to CARFAX vehicle history data. These states "pose the highest threat to safety" because of their high heat and humidity. They are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas.

Fourteen states have 150,000 or more unfixed vehicles with Takata airbags:

Texas*	788,000
California*	739,000
Florida*	305,000
N.C.	216,000
Ohio	209,000
N.Y.	206,000
Pennsylvania	204,000
Tennessee	202,000
Arizona*	201,000
Georgia*	195,000
Illinois	167,000
Michigan	164,000
Indiana	154,000
Alabama*	151,000

*Zone A states

Extended exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to deploy far more explosively than expected. That excessive force can launch pieces of metal surrounding the inflator into a vehicle's cabin like shrapnel, posing a high risk to occupants. NHTSA says 27 people in the U.S. have been killed by these airbags and at least 400 have been injured. More than 67 million airbags in more than 40 million vehicles have been recalled in models from 19 automakers. Get more details.

"Even after a decade of a dedicated and committed effort by the vehicle manufacturers, government, non-profits and businesses, it's concerning that so many affected vehicles continue to be driven on U.S. roads with these potentially dangerous airbags sitting inside," said Faisal Hasan, CARFAX General Manager for Data. "It's easy to see recall fatigue settle in for many consumers, but they need to act. We know that raising the alarm with local media can make that happen urgently. Getting an airbag replaced is quick, free to them, and could save the life of a loved one – or their own!"

Consumers can track recalls for their vehicle by getting the free CARFAX Car Care app. It will notify them when any new recall is issued for their car, at no cost to them. More than 40 million users are getting these recall alerts today. Consumers can also check to see if their vehicle has an unfixed recall by going to Carfax.com/recall and entering either their Vehicle Identification Number or their license plate information. CARFAX will tell them instantly – for free – if there's an unfixed recall.

In addition, CARFAX is working with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation to involve more states with the Vehicle Recall Search Service. The Vehicle Recall Search Service is used by Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York State, Ohio, and Texas to alert residents to open safety recalls and get them fixed. Launched in 2018 as a completely free system, the Vehicle Recall Search Service has checked more than 5.8 billion vehicles since its launch 6 years ago.

Editor's note: Interviews with Patrick Olsen, CARFAX Editor-in-Chief, are available at any time. Please contact us at [email protected]. We have numbers for all 50 states as well as the Top 50 markets.

About CARFAX

CARFAX, part of S&P Global Mobility, helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX® vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides CARFAX Used Car Listings, CARFAX Car Care, CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world's largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell – Show me the CARFAX®.

S&P Global Mobility is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets.

SOURCE CARFAX