What should you do if your car is affected by Takata air bag recall?
The expanded recall of vehicles with faulty air bag inflators manufactured by Takata is hard to compare to any past events, because “this isn’t your typical recall,” according to John Putzier.
“This is not one brand,” Putzier explained. “This is crossing over into 22 different brands.”
Putzier is chief executive officer of Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association, which represents more than 200 franchised automobile and truck dealers in Western Pennsylvania.
Takata agreed Wednesday to add up to 40 million air bag inflators to what was already the largest recall in U.S. history at 28.8 million. The addition is expected to put a major strain on service centers.
“It looked like it was manageable,” said Putzier, noting just eight million vehicles were serviced from the initial recall.
“It could take a year or two to catch all of those up,” said Putzier. “There’s only so much capacity to be able to ramp up and fix this overnight. It’s just too big to do.”
The Takata air bag inflators use ammonium nitrate to create an explosion that inflates the air bag. Over time and with exposure to moisture and high temperatures, the chemicals can degrade and blow apart a metal canister that spews shrapnel into the cabin when the air bag is inflated.
However, Western Pennsylvania’s climate may be helpful for drivers affected by the recall.
Putzier noted the Takata inflators are most likely to fail in higher humidity climates. Because Pennsylvania does not fall into that category, Putzier said the danger is not as high.
Also, Putzier pointed out there were just 10 fatalities out of the 69 million vehicles potentially affected by the faulty Takata part – though he did stress the low probability is not a reason to write off the danger.
“I don’t mean to discount the seriousness of this,” Putzier said. “One fatality is too many … but it’s a fairly low probability of occurring.”
Another positive for drivers who might be affected by the recall is three other inflator manufacturers – TRW Automotive, Daicel and Autoliv – stepped in to help Takata meet the need of replacements.
For drivers who believe their vehicle may be affected, Putzier recommends first checking to make sure they are part of the recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration allows drivers to enter their VIN number at the safercar.gov website to check for potential recalled vehicle repairs.
Once a Takata recall is confirmed on a vehicle, Putzier said the owner should contact a franchise dealer as soon as possible. He stressed a franchise dealer must be contacted, not an independent mechanic, as they will not be able to get the replacement parts.
Putzier also said the key caution of the recall is older vehicles because time is a key factor in causing the ammonium nitrate to become unstable.
“The older your airbag is, the more urgent it is to get it in the queue,” said Putzier.
While any automotive recall can be inconvenient for drivers, the Takata replacement program hit Jim Sirianni of McMurray twice.
According to a post from Sirianni on the Observer-Reporter Facebook page, Sirianni brought his Honda CR-V to a dealership in March and has been driving a rental car ever since.
However, Sirianni said his rental, a Nissan Altima, is also being recalled for air bag issues and his CR-V is not expected to be finished until late summer.
Putzier notes while it is recommended for drivers to find alternate transportation during the replacement period, “that’s easier said than done.”
“There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for this problem,” he wrote.