Get your airbags fixed now, safety agency tells drivers
540,000 vehicles in S. Florida yet to take advantage of free fix for faulty equipment
More than 1.4 million Florida motorists are still driving around with dangerous Takata airbags, three years after a nationwide recall was ordered, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced this week.
The number of unrepaired vehicles includes about 540,000 drivers in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.
Drivers with defective airbags need to get to a dealership for a free replacement immediately, the agency said in a news release.
They can find out whether their vehicles have open recalls by typing their Vehicle Identification Number into the database at NHTSA.gov/recall.
Experts say Florida is among the most vulnerable places — along with Texas, Louisiana, and parts of California — for potentially deadly airbag eruptions because the hot and humid weather
here increases the likelihood of malfunction. Exposure to these weather conditions over time can cause metal parts inside the airbags to explode and send metal shrapnel parts slicing into car occupants, according to an administration fact sheet.
Because of this, South Florida has been identified as a priority location for airbag replacement, the administration said.
“I am deeply concerned over the high number of unrepaired defective airbags in vehicles here in South Florida,” said Heidi King, the agency’s deputy administrator. “I cannot stress strongly
enough the urgency of this recall — these airbags can be deadly. If your vehicle is under recall, do not delay in getting it to your dealer for a free repair. It could save your life or the life of someone you love.”
The administration called the Takata airbag recall the largest and most complex vehicle recall in the nation’s history, involving 19 vehicle manufacturers, 37 million U.S. vehicles and approximately 50 million airbags.
The faulty airbag systems have been linked to at least 23 deaths
and 300 injuries worldwide, including the deaths of three Floridians: a 51-year-old Orlando woman in 2014; an 81-year-old Hialeah man in 2016; and a 34-year-old Pasco County
woman in July 2017.
In most cases, the fatal airbag deployments were triggered by a fender bender from which the victims should have been able to walk away, the release said.
Last year, many owners waited weeks or months for appointments as needed parts remained on back order.
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The backlog is over, and dealers are well-stocked now, said Marc Cannon, AutoNation executive vice president.
The remaining unrepaired vehicles are owned by “folks that are not responding” to the awareness campaigns, Cannon said.
“We do check vehicles as they come in for service and or repair visits to ensure if there is an open recall it has been resolved, and if not, perform the recall repair as part of their visit,” he said. “We also proactively send out communications … to heighten awareness and sense of urgency to get customers
to bring their vehicle in.”
The administration remains concerned about unrepaired 2006 Fort Rangers and Mazda B-Series trucks with defective Takata airbags. Considered “higher risk,” these vehicles are under a “do not drive” warning and their airbags
must be replaced immediately, the agency said.
Other high-risk vehicles are: 2001 and 2002 Honda Civic; 2001 and 2002 Honda Accord; 2002 and 2003 Acura TL; 2002 Honda Odyssey; 2002 Honda CR-V; 2003 Acura CL; and 2003 Honda Pilot.