Takata Recall hits 33.8 Million: Is your car safe to drive?

Takata Corp. expanded its recall to 33.8 million vehicles on Tuesday, May 19, finally acknowledging that its airbags are defective after months of resisting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is the largest auto recall in U.S. history.

The defective airbags leave millions of American drivers in danger, especially because drivers  don’t yet know which makes and models are affected. The list of recalled vehicles has been growing since last year, and the number of vehicles affected doubled as of the announcement on May 19th. The NHTSA and automakers are still working to sort out the “definitive list” of unsafe makes and models. Meanwhile, drivers are in the dark,  and may be in danger and not yet know it. All they can do is check safercar.gov frequently for updates.

The defective airbags manufactured by Takata have been linked to six deaths and over 100 injuries caused by metal shrapnel that is released into the cabin when the airbags deploy.  The recall affects some of the most popular automakers in the U.S. – Honda,  Toyota, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Subaru, and Mitsubishi.

This video from NBC gives a quick run-down of what you need to know.

Mark Rosekind, of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the NHTSA is currently working to come up with a definitive list. But, even after that list is complete, it could take drivers months or years to have their vehicles made safe again, due to the astronomical demand.

It’s not like a toaster; they can’t just return it to the store,” 855-866-5529, day or night, we will answer your call 24/7.