Takata airbag inflator recall expands to include 12 million more cars
That's exactly what you want to hear just before the most popular driving weekend in the US.
You know what is the most popular time to drive around America? Memorial Day weekend. You know what's not great before embarking on a road trip? Finding out your airbags might function as improvised explosive devices. Eight automakers have announced that they're recalling 12 million vehicles for Takata's faulty parts, so, um, you might want to drive with additional caution or rethink your plans altogether.
The full list of newly recalled vehicles is at the bottom of this story. It includes big automakers like Honda and Dodge, but it's also incorporating smaller players, like Ferrari. Takata's parts were used across the industry, so it's no surprise that this many recalls are taking place simultaneously.
To bring you up to speed, Takata had to recall its airbag inflators, which use chemicals to rapidly expand airbags in an accident. A confluence of factors can cause those inflators to fail, and in the event they do fail, a cloud of shrapnel might replace a properly released airbag. To date, 13 deaths and 100 injuries are linked to the problem, and some 50 million vehicles have already been recalled worldwide.
This isn't the end of it, either. Reuters reports that more automakers will likely issue recalls in the coming days. At least the unannounced automakers have the decency to wait until after the long weekend to scare people into mothballing their cars for weeks or months on end. Given the sheer number of affected vehicles, replacement parts will take time to appear. Fixing all the recalled cars might take years.
Replacements will be prioritized based on location, as high humidity leads to the inflators failing. Here's the full list of new additions:
Fiat Chrysler: 2004-2008 Ram 1500, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2009 Ram 2500, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2006-2012 Dodge Charger, 2009 Ram 3500, 2005-2012 Chrysler 300, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2010 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, 2007-2012 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2010 Ram 4500/5500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2012 Dodge Challenger
Ferrari: 2009-2011 California, 2010-2011 458 Italia
Honda: 2002-2004 Honda Odyssey, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2003-2008 Honda Pilot, 2003-2011 Element, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2006-2011 Honda Civic/Civic Hybrid/Civic GX/Honda Ridgeline, 2007-2008 Honda Fit, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2008-2011 Honda Accord, 2009-2011 Acura TSX/TSX Wagon/Honda Fit/Honda Pilot, 2010-2011 Acura ZDX/Honda Accord Crosstour/Honda FCX Clarity/Honda Insight
Mazda: 2004-2011 RX-8, 2004-2006 MPV, 2007-2011 CX-7/CX-9, 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6, 2009-2011 Mazda6
Mitsubishi: 2006-2007 Lancer/Lancer Evolution
Nissan: 2003-2004 Infiniti I30/I35, 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35/FX45, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35/M45, 2007-2011 Nissan Versa
Subaru: 2003-2004 and 2009-2011 Legacy/Outback, 2003-2006 Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza/Tribeca, 2006 Saab 9-2x, 2009-2011 Forester
Toyota: 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris/Lexus IS250/IS350, 2007-2011 Lexus ES 350, 2008-2011 Scion xB/Lexus IS F, 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla/Matrix, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner/Lexus IS250C/IS350C/Lexus GX460, 2011 Toyota Sienna