During the last 10 years, 22 people have died throughout the world because of dangerous Takata airbags that explode like a grenade inside the passenger compartments of vehicles. Many of these dangerous airbags have hair triggers that can go off in a minor fender-bender. The most deadly of these airbags, dubbed “Alphas,” have a 50 percent chance going off in these kinds of circumstances.
You might think that after a decade of automaker recalls, with millions of vehicles being called in for free repairs, that the threat of these airbags would have passed by now. However, automakers continue to add more vehicles to the list. Ford, for example, recently added older model Rangers to the list of dangerous cars that need to be repaired to avoid the risk of death.
Will we ever reach the end of the Takata recall scandal?
The constant stream of Takata-related news events — in which automakers announce a new make and model of vehicle that owners should bring in for airbag servicing — certainly begs the question: Will we ever see an end to this scandal? Will the streets ever be clean of cars with these ticking time bombs inside them?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is no. When millions of consumer products are recalled at the scale of the worldwide Takata problem, millions of vehicles will never be brought in for repair. This is because, after a used car has been sold and resold numerous times, it’s difficult for automakers to track down the current owners, who may not know their vehicles need servicing. Furthermore, there’s the problem of vehicle owners not taking the time to bring the cars in for a free repair.
Sometimes, used cars may be sitting on lots and the used car seller isn’t paying attention to recall notices. The vehicle buyer then purchases a used car wrongly assuming that any relevant recall issues have been addressed.
Don’t become another Takata airbag statistic
Regardless of what kind of vehicle you own, make sure you investigate whether your particular car may have a Takata recall associated with it, but don’t stop there. Contact the vehicle manufacturer with your car’s serial number to determine if the appropriate repairs have or haven’t already been made. By taking this simple precaution, you could save you or a family member’s life, avoid pain, tragedy and heartache — not to mention that you’ll avoid the need to pursue a personal injury lawsuit.