It is a sad fact that every year millions of automobiles and other motor vehicles are recalled due to defective parts. According to the The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2015, automakers issued recalls for 51.26 million cars. This number surpassed the total number of recalls issued in 2014 – 50.99 million vehicles. Data for recalls per year dating back to 1995 can be accessed from this press release.
One of the most dangerous defective vehicle parts to have been recalled recently is from Takata – a manufacturer of airbags. Takata airbags are powered by ammonium nitrate inflators which have been shown to explode with such force that they propel shrapnel into drivers and passengers causing serious injury and death.
Unfortunately, millions of those recalled cars have not been fixed and are still on American roads. In fact,
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates there are millions of potentially defective Takata airbags still on the road today, including 43.4 million passenger side inflators, 26.9 million side airbag inflators, and 14.5 million driver side inflators. A U.S. House panel is expected to discuss the Takata recall in a hearing today. See MotorTrend.com
All of these outstanding recalls put everyone at risk – from drivers and passengers to pedestrians. In fact, the NHTSA recently confirmed the 10th death from a defective Takata’s airbag.
The NHTSA and the auto manufacturers need to make a continued push to get the word out. While they do regularly publish information about the recalls not all dealers are sending notices to their customers. The result is that many millions of defective autos are still on the roads and still pose a threat to drivers, passengers and the public in general.
This is a serious matter that all of us need to pay attention to. Each of us should check in with family members to make sure that they get their cars fixed when they receive a recall notice. It is inconvenient, true, but it is far less onerous than spending time in a hospital or a funeral home.
