The Takata Airbag Recall. What You Need to Know From the Experts

by Kevin Fitzgerald & David Schumann on August 31, 2018

The Takata airbag recall started in 2008 with 4000 airbags and has grown to become the largest automotive recall in the history of the industry, with 70 million inflators in the US alone. They are found in almost every make of car, across the world.

At the heart of nearly every Takata airbag is a chemical propellant called PSAN that cannot withstand the heat and humidity environments of the world. PSAN has a terrible Achilles-tendon that leads to degrading propellant that grows more dangerous with time. This results in aggressive and sometimes violently dangerous airbags that can explode like grenades, sending flames and blasted metal shrapnel into your face, neck, and chest. The deaths are gruesome and tragic, and the injuries are equally so, leaving the victims with permanent disfigurement, blindness, disability, and a life of surgeries, rehabilitation, and emotional trauma.

To date, there have been 23 deaths and more than 350 injuries worldwide. There is no end in sight. There are multiple generations of Takata PSAN inflators under recall, more than the industry and governments can manage, and yet still we have more to indict and much more to do. Some were estimated by Takata, their first generation of PSAN inflators, to have a 50% chance of exploding when deployed. This was a few years ago. Today those probabilities are much greater. There are still more than 60,000 of these ‘Alpha’ inflators in just the U.S, and that number is only going to grow as Takata’s newer generation inflators age.

Takata struggled to pass automaker’s specifications with every generation of their PSAN inflators and they are all doing the same. Some leak worse than others and some are in more extreme climates. The probabilities aren’t uniform, but are growing in severity with time and the number of inflators is in the millions. Some generations are better, but as we say, ‘in time, all Takata inflators will be Alphas.’ A PSAN inflator, even with the best counter-measures, so much as suffers a punctured seal or damaged O-ring during manufacturing is a sure bet to become extremely dangerous, very quickly, desiccant or not. Millions of these are all trending badly, in your face, and those of your friends and family. The inevitable is only a matter of time and the sooner we act, the more lives we can affect.

And the recall effort just continues to drag on, and grow bigger. We launched this website and wrote our book for two reasons: to raise crucial awareness and get people to check cars and trucks, alert friends and family, and then to help us get another 100 million Takata airbags in the spotlight, that haven’t been recalled yet, but should be.

We draw your attention to the following chart showing the Takata airbag timeline of injuries, deaths, and total cars recalled in the U.S. When our campaign is done and if we are successful, we expect nearly 200 million inflators should be recalled. Understanding this chart highlights immediately why inaction is not an option. We could be on our way to 60 deaths by 2020, and double the injuries. Time is our enemy and the trends are frightening.

You can see injuries lead the way, but the deaths continue to accelerate in time. The possible trends we could extrapolate are unacceptable. Worse, the orange dots are the rough model year of each airbag that killed someone. The lines indicate how long that took from install to death. Red lines didn’t make it ten years, light orange not fifteen, and only two survived a year or two past that. Something is very wrong here. We know exactly what it is, the reason we’ve dedicated ourselves to this project. Right now we’re averaging one death for every million cars recalled, and two hundred deaths are not going to happen on our watch.

Another hard reality is that the dates the inflators exploded are only when the airbag was finally called upon. In other words, the only way we discover the failure is when it fails. How many were actually ready to rupture years before they were called on to save a life? What you don’t see on this chart, is that we only see the worst of the worst – the inflators that exploded violently – but a degraded inflator that is aggressive, but doesn’t rupture, can still harm people (see Mincey case).

This forces us to evaluate all assumptions and studies that have been performed in labs. GM is petitioning to avoid a portion of their recall with studies from outside defense experts and fancy statisticians. The elephant in the room is that these studies contradict what is actually occurring in the field. Takata’s airbags aren’t surviving as advertised – not even close. We know best – far better than outside experts – because we are the inside experts who watched the tragedy unfold from its epicenter. We are screaming because we see things spiraling out of control and a failure to stem the tide, now running nearly ten years. We estimate the true recall is only 30% complete.

We need your help to do this. There is more information below concerning what you need to know about the recall, and a SPOTLIGHT of the most critical thing you could do right now, the most urgent.

Future Events

Here is NHTSA’s schedule of upcoming events critical to our case. Before the 2019 decision milestone, we will demonstrate that all desiccated-PSAN inflators need to be eventually replaced. This is the real purpose of the book, to indict the remaining, so stay tuned!

• December 31, 2018 – Takata’s 4th (of 5) scheduled defect notice is due.
• December 31, 2019 – Takata’s 5th (of 5) scheduled defect notice is due. This is also the deadline by which Takata must prove its desiccated PSAN inflators (inflators that contain a drying agent) are safe—otherwise, the NHTSA Administrator can order Takata to recall all desiccated PSAN inflators.
• September 30, 2020 – Last deadline for non-desiccated PSAN inflator recalls to launch (and vehicle manufacturers must have sufficient parts available for repairs).

One of Many Injuries

The severity of the life-altering injuries resulting from faulty Takata airbags cannot be understated. This terrible fact was realized by Stephanie Erdman, a United States Airforce Lieutenant from Florida, in September of 2013, when a traffic collision caused metal shards from a ruptured Takata airbag to explode into her eye. As a result, she nearly lost her vision, has suffered horrible chronic side effects, and has had to undergo several intensive surgeries. WARNING: The following image taken of Stephanie after her accident is extremely graphic in nature and should not be viewed by children under 18 or those sensitive to graphic material.

All Vehicles Under Current Recall in the United States

Acura (Honda)

• 2003 Acura 3.2CL
• 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL
• 2013-2016 Acura IL
• 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid
• 2003-2006 Acura MDX
• 2007-2016 Acura RDX
• 2005-2012 Acura RL
• 2009-2014 Acura TL
• 2009-2014 Acura TSX
• 2010-2013 Acura ZDX

Audi (VW)

• 2006-2013 Audi A3
• 2005-2008 Audi A4 Avant
• 2007-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet
• 2005-2008 Audi A4 Sedan
• 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet
• 2006-2011 Audi A6 Avant
• 2005-2011 Audi A6 Sedan
• 2009-2012 Audi Q5
• 2017 Audi R8
• 2008 Audi RS 4 Cabriolet
• 2007-2008 Audi RS 4 Sedan
• 2005-2008 Audi S4 Avant
• 2007-2009 Audi S4 Cabriolet
• 2005-2008 Audi S4 Sedan
• 2010-2012 Audi S5 Cabriolet
• 2007-2011 Audi S6 Sedan
• 2016-2017 Audi TT

BMW

• 2008-2013 BMW 1 Series
• 2000-2013 BMW 3 Series
• 2001-2003 BMW 5 Series
• 2013-2015 BMW X1
• 2007-2010 BMW X3
• 2001-2003 BMW X5
• 2007-2013 BMW X5
• 2008-2014 BMW X6
• 2010-2011 BMW X6 Hybrid

Cadillac (GM)

• 2007-2014 Cadillac Escalade
• 2007-2014 Cadillac Escalade ESV
• 2007-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT

Chevorlet (GM)

• 2007-2013 Chevrolet Avalanche
• 2007-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD
• 2007-2013 Chevrolet Silverado LD
• 2007-2014 Chevrolet Suburban
• 2007-2014 Chevrolet Tahoe

Chrysler

• 2005-2015 Chrysler 300
• 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen
• 2007-2008 Chrysler Crossfire

Daimler Trucks North America (Sterling Bullet)

• 2008-2009 Sterling Bullet

Daimler Vans USA LLC (Sprinter)

• 2007-2009 Dodge Sprinter
• 2007-2017 Freightliner Sprinter
• 2010-2017 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Dodge/Ram (Chrysler)

• 2008-2014 Dodge Challenger
• 2006-2015 Dodge Charger
• 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota
• 2004-2009 Dodge Durango
• 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum
• 2003-2008 Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500 Pickup
• 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500 Pickup
• 2007-2010 Dodge Ram 3500 Cab Chassis
• 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500 Pickup
• 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500/5500 Cab Chassis

Ferrari

• 2010-2015 Ferrari 458 Italia
• 2014-2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale
• 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale A
• 2012-2015 Ferrari 458 Spider
• 2016-2017 Ferrari 488 GTB
• 2016-2017 Ferrari 488 Spider
• 2009-2014 Ferrari California
• 2015-2017 Ferrari California T
• 2013-2017 Ferrari F12
• 2016-2017 Ferrari F12 tdf
• 2016 Ferrari F60
• 2012-2016 Ferrari FF
• 2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso

Fisker (Karma)

• 2012 Fisker Karma

Ford

• 2007-2010 Ford Edge
• 2006-2012 Ford Fusion
• 2005-2006 Ford GT
• 2005-2014 Ford Mustang
• 2004-2011 Ford Ranger

GMC (GM)

• 2007-2014 GMC Sierra HD
• 2007-2013 GMC Sierra LD
• 2007-2014 GMC Yukon
• 2007-2014 GMC Yukon XL

Honda

• 2001-2012 Honda Accord
• 2001-2011 Honda Civic
• 2003-2011 Honda Civic Hybrid
• 2001-2011 Honda Civic NGV
• 2010-2015 Honda Crosstour
• 2002-2011 Honda CR-V
• 2011-2015 Honda CR-Z
• 2003-2011 Honda Element
• 2010-2014 Honda FCX Clarity
• 2007-2013 Honda Fit
• 2013-2014 Honda Fit EV
• 2010-2014 Honda Insight
• 2002-2004 Honda Odyssey
• 2003-2015 Honda Pilot
• 2006-2014 Honda Ridgeline

Infiniti (Nissan)

• 2003-2008 Infiniti FX
• 2001 Infiniti I30
• 2002-2004 Infiniti I35
• 2006-2010 Infiniti M
• 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4

Jaguar

• 2009-2015 Jaguar XF

Jeep (Chrysler)

• 2007-2016 Jeep Wrangler

Land Rover (Jaguar Land Rover)

• 2007-2012 Land Rover Range Rover

Lexus (Toyota)

• 2007-2012 Lexus ES350
• 2010-2017 Lexus GX460
• 2006-2013 Lexus IS250/350
• 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C/350C
• 2008-2014 Lexus IS F
• 2012 Lexus LFA
• 2002-2010 Lexus SC430

Lincoln (Ford)

• 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX
• 2006-2012 Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ

Mazda

• 2004-2009 Mazda B-Series
• 2007-2012 Mazda CX-7
• 2007-2015 Mazda CX-9
• 2003-2015 Mazda6
• 2006-2007 Mazda Mazdaspeed6
• 2004-2006 Mazda MPV
• 2004-2011 Mazda RX-8

McLaren

• 2016-2017 McLaren 570
• 2015-2016 McLaren 650S
• 2016 McLaren 675LT
• 2012-2014 McLaren MP4-12C
• 2011 McLaren P1TM
• 2013-2015 McLaren P1TM

Mercedes-Benz

• 2005-2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• 2010-2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• 2011-2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio
• 2010-2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe
• 2009-2012 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
• 2010-2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
• 2009-2011 Mercedes-Benz ML-Class
• 2009-2012 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
• 2007-2008 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
• 2011-2015 Mercedes-Benz SLS-Class

Mercury (Ford)

• 2006-2011 Mercury Milan

Mitsubishi

• 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV
• 2014 Mitsubishi i-MiEV
• 2016-2017 Mitsubishi i-MiEV
• 2004-2007 Mitsubishi Lancer
• 2004-2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
• 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback
• 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider

Nissan

• 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima
• 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder
• 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra
• 2007-2012 Nissan Versa

Pontiac (GM)

• 2003-2010 Pontiac Vibe

Saab (GM)

• 2005-2006 Saab 9-2x
• 2006-2011 Saab 9-3
• 2006-2009 Saab 9-5

Saturn (GM)

• 2008-2009 Saturn Astra

Scion (Toyota)

• 2008-2015 Scion XB

Subaru

• 2003-2006 Subaru Baja
• 2009-2013 Subaru Forester
• 2004-2011 Subaru Impreza (Including WRX/STI)
• 2003-2014 Subaru Legacy
• 2003-2014 Subaru Outback
• 2006-2014 Subaru Tribeca
• 2012-2014 Subaru WRX/STI

Tesla

• 2012-2016 Tesla Model S

Toyota

• 2010-2016 Toyota 4Runner
• 2003-2013 Toyota Corolla
• 2003-2013 Toyota Corolla Matrix
• 2004-2005 Toyota Rav4
• 2002-2007 Toyota Sequoia
• 2011-2014 Toyota Sienna
• 2003-2006 Toyota Tundra
• 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris (Hatch Back)
• 2007-2012 Toyota Yaris (Sedan)

Volkswagen

• 2009-2017 Volkswagen CC
• 2010-2014 Volkswagen Eos
• 2010-2014 Volkswagen Golf
• 2013 Volkswagen Golf R
• 2009-2013 Volkswagen GTI
• 2012-2014 Volkswagen Passat
• 2006-2010 Volkswagen Passat Sedan
• 2006-2010 Volkswagen Passat Wagon
• 2017-2018 Volkswagen Tiguan

Source: NHTSA Takata Recall Spotlight