So Your Airbag Isn’t Defective? Think Again.

The Takata airbag has already caused at least 16 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide -- and the numbers are growing. Japanese auto parts supplier company Takata Corp. has announced 34 car brands affected by their defective airbags as of this time. Recalling all these vehicles, however, is a challenge, since many drivers don’t even know that their cars are included in the list.

And chances are, you might not even be aware that yours is included, too.

What's wrong with these Takata air bags?

The main problem with these defective airbags is the propellant wafers contained in the airbag’s metal canister. There are some cases where these propellants can inflate with so much force that it blows up the entire canister, sending flying metal shards at drivers and passengers inside. Many reported deaths occur when these shrapnels blow out with such force that they slice the necks of victims, causing them to bleed out and die.

Other less-lethal injuries associated with the explosive force of Takata Airbag deployment include:

• Head trauma
• Broken / fractured bones
• Shrapnel lacerations on other parts of the body
• Neck and spine trauma
• Facial trauma

NHTSA has determined that the root cause of these explosions is the ammonium nitrate-based propellant that’s not buffered by any chemical drying agent. They theorized that the chemical, together with environmental moisture, high temperature, and age connected to the defect itself can cause the airbag to inflate too hard.

Takata released their own official study, and said that the “moisture and humidity could be seeping inside inflators, destabilizing the volatile propellant inside.”

When did it start?

The explosion risk problem started when Honda noticed the defect in 2004, and spotted it again three times in 2007. For some strange reason we can't fathom, Honda only sent the required forms to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and never followed through. An in-depth study by the Times revealed that it didn’t go “beyond the standard form”, and they didn't alert the regulators about the airbags’ explosion risk.

It was not until 2008 when Takata took the problem seriously and recalled 4,000 airbags from Honda. That was their first airbag recall. Things became worse when in 2013, a series of deaths  and injuries forced the Japanese company to recall around 3.6 million cars. The problem was only made public in 2014, and it was only in January this year that Takata "agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud". They are now mandated to pay a total of $1 billion in criminal penalties stemming from the "company's fraudulent conduct in relation to sales of defective airbag inflators."

How many cars are affected?

More than 100 million cars are affected worldwide, and so far, only 8,432,805* cars have been replaced with airbags. The problem is that there are limited replacement parts available as of now, and NHTSA estimates that the final repairs can only be made approximately two to three years away for U.S. alone. However, Federal safety regulators have a more sober forecast when other countries are included, and said it will take until 2023 before all the airbags will be fixed and replaced worldwide. If that' the case, then it would take 15 years after Takata’s first recall before they can repair the damage they created.

Which cars are affected?

Honda cars carry the heaviest burden here, since it’s Takata’s biggest client. Other cars affected in the airbag recall include the following:

Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler Trucks and Vans, Dodge/Ram, Ferrari, Fisker, Ford, GMC, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Scion, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen.

You can get a more detailed list here. You can also go to the NHTSA's site for more information.

So what should you do now?

1. Make sure that your car is up for recall by checking out your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in the NHTSA's list.

What if you don't know or can't find your car's VIN? Then you can go here first.

Once you verify that yours is included in the list, then the best thing you can do is to contact your vehicle's (authorized) dealership and have your airbags replaced for free. So far, Honda Philippines, Nisan Philippines, Subaru Philippines, and Mitsubishi Philippines have actively expressed their willingness to inspect their customer's airbags for signs of defect and possible replacement. We're sure in time, more car brands will step forward and do the same. However, this may take awhile, so until then, we urge you to—

2. Avoid panicking. These airbags are dangerous, but the odds of them deploying will only happen if you get involved in a car crash. And not all of them are defective. The risks however, will go up if you live in an area with high humidity. If that’s the case, then practice extreme caution when driving your car. Until your airbag gets replaced, the most you can do right now is to drive safe and avoid crashing your car even at low to moderate speeds.

  *This figure is  only for the U.S. There is no information about the  actual number of vehicles replaced in the Philippines as of this time.