FEW CANADIANS ARE REPLACING THEIR TAKATA AIRBAGS
SAFETY: Data shows only 16 per cent of vehicles have had dangerous airbags replaced
When faulty Takata airbag inflators caused 19 vehicle manufacturers to participate in the largest recall in history, it seemed the headlines — and gory details — would never fade. The story of airbags exploding and killing people with shrapnel was broken by the New York Times in November of 2014, though later reports would reveal that Takata knew of the problem much earlier.
With more than 42 million vehicles affected in the U.S. from model years 2002 to 2015, it was clear early on there was no way replacements could be made quickly enough to satisfy the recall. More than five million of those recalls are in Canada, where no deaths or injuries have been reported.
Now those replacement airbags are becoming available. The problem? Not enough car owners are getting the job done.
To date there have been 11 deaths and 184 injuries in the U.S. caused by the faulty airbags. Climate, particularly humidity, has played a large role in the instability of the inflator, leading to early supply going to regions of the world most likely to experience problems.
It’s hard to argue the necessity of such a move, but it’s been frustrating for Canadians left holding the (air)bag. Consumers in Canada were quick to take to the phone lines when the recall was first launched, according to the Automobile Protection Association (APA).
“We received many, many calls when this first began,” says consultant John Raymond. “But in the past six months, the calls have dropped off significantly.” It’s not that the recall is over; in fact, as of last summer, Transport Canada reported that only 16 per cent of affected vehicles had had the faulty airbags replaced.
Early goings were tough for consumers, who faced the possibility of one of a vehicle’s most touted safety features becoming a possible deadly risk. As it was front driver and passenger airbags in question, some passenger ones were disconnected and people were told, “don’t let anyone sit there”. But despite the fact there were no immediate replacement parts early on, both American and Canadian law are the same, in that knowledge of a problem must prompt a recall even if no answer is currently available.
As Takata faced investigation (and bankruptcy) and more details were unearthed, more and more vehicles were added to the growing recall. For a full listing, go to the Transport Canada website.
In recent weeks, Transport Canada has stepped up the importance of following up on affected vehicles. A further update highlights some autos of immediate concern: 2001-2002 Honda Civic 2001-2002 Honda Accord 2001-2002 Acura EL 2002-2003 Acura TL
2002 Honda CR-V
2002 Honda Odyssey 2003 Acura CL
2003 Honda Pilot
And if you own a 2006 Ford Ranger, Ford is actually requesting that you stop driving it.
Honda Canada has taken the lead in rectifying the concern for their customers. It is “confident that it has adequate replacement part supplies to replace recalled Takata airbag inflators in all Honda and Acura models currently subject to recall in Canada. Owners of affected vehicles can seek recall service immediately at authorized Honda and Acura dealers.”
One of the issues that contributes to stubbornly low rates of replacement is in how recalls are set up. The registered owner of the vehicle will be notified of a recall; if the car has changed hands, or the registered owner has changed addresses, it becomes easy to see where disconnects in contact can occur. Factor in that older cars often have more checkered histories, and you can see why it’s imperative for owners to check online listings, or go to a dealer, to find out if they’re driving a car that falls under the recall.
Honda was one of the first to offer worried owners a loaner car; Nissan and others followed suit and, while it’s difficult to ascertain how many people took them up on it, especially in the early goings, supply of replacement airbags is now at a good level.
The APA urges people to contact their dealer to inquire about having the airbags replaced if they’re on the recall, and to follow up quarterly if they’ve already made initial inquiries.
Honda is leaving nothing to chance. While it has done the usual mailing and dealer follow up for customers, it has also used “various web resources; expanded dedicated call centre …; phone and email customer outreach; social media engagement across various Honda Canada platforms; employee friends and family campaigns; salvage yard research; mobile recall service,” and my favourite, door-todoor canvassing. Honda is sending people to knock on your door to make sure you replace your airbags.
If you’re exposed to anything often enough, it’s easy to get fatigued by or inured to it. While original descriptions of the violence inflicted by the malfunctioning airbags was enough to push horror through several news cycles, the fact remains that too many of these faulty devices still need to be replaced.
Please check with your dealer, or go to the Transport Canada link to make sure you and your family are safe.