Expanded Recall Of Takata Airbags Crashes NHTSA Website, Heavier Traffic To ... - The Car Connection
At the end of the 20th century and for the first several years of the 21st (until about 2008 ), Takata made airbag systems using a formulation of ammonium nitrate that can become very unstable when exposed to moisture, including atmospheric humidity. As a result, some of Takata's airbags have exploded upon deployment, spewing shrapnel throughout the vehicles and injuring -- and in at least six cases, killing -- the very people they were meant to protect. Here in the U. S. , NHTSA has wanted Takata to order recalls of all driver-side devices, but the agency has been willing to let some passenger-side devices remain as-is. For the most part, passenger-side airbag recalls have been focused on states with high humidity, like those along the Gulf Coast. That's made things very, very confusing for owners of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags. Though some automakers have voluntarily replaced passenger-side airbags across the country, others have been very reluctant to do so. Throughout all of this, Takata has insisted -- or tried to insist -- that there was no clear evidence about the... "The actions expand regional recalls of Takata passenger-side inflators, currently limited to areas of high absolute humidity, to nationwide recalls. Source: www.thecarconnection.com
