Check Your VIN

10 million vehicles recalled for new, but same, Takata airbag issues

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Jan 9, 2020, 7:08 pm

A deployed airbag is seen in a 2001 Honda Accord at the LKQ Pick Your Part salvage yard on May 22, 2015 in Medley, Florida.

Photo by Getty Images

The latest round of Takata airbag recalls adds insult to injury. In a document issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the government acknowledged that the latest round of recalls is for approximately 10 million vehicles that have already been recalled and allegedly repaired.

How does this happen? It has come to light that during the initial rounds of the recall Takata replaced the old, dangerous inflators with new versions of the same thing with the same design and chemistry. Yes, you read that right.

Takata air bag recall Angelina Sujata (2nd L) tells the story of how she was injured three years ago by a defective Takata airbag during a news conference with (L-R) Rep. Diane DeGette (D-CO), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) outside the U.S. Capitol June 2, 2015 in Washington, DC. Photo by Getty Images

There are 14 U.S. brands impacted by the announcement including Audi, BMW, Honda, Daimler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ferrari, General Motors, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

Some automakers got a jump on the report and have been working to re-recall their vehicles for months now.

According to the NHTSA, over 38 million vehicles have been repaired as part of the larger Takata recall event. NHTSA estimates that there are nearly 13 million defective parts still installed in vehicles as of this past November.

To find out if your model is impacted by the recall, visit the NHTSA website and enter your car's vehicle identification number (VIN).

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web

Trending News

Nuts & Bolts

 
 

Safety First

NHTSA looks to add new advanced driver assistance tech to testing regimen

Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 delivers new safety and driver assistance tech to the company's 2021 model lineup.

Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has made public a list of proposed upgrades to the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). NCAP testing addresses the crashworthiness of a vehicle as well as the vehicle's headlight functionality. These new proposed measures go even further, putting driver assistance and safety technology to the test.

Automakers often strive to achieve the highest score possible in NCAP testing, wearing their five-start safety ratings and Top Pick designations as badges of honor in marketing campaigns.

"Thanks in part to NCAP, new vehicles today are much safer than a generation ago," said NHTSA Deputy Administrator James Owens. "Even so, there are still too many fatalities and serious injuries in crashes every year, so it is critical that vehicles keep getting safer in the future, and a modernized NCAP will better enable American families to select vehicles with the safety features they want."

The immediate planned update to NCAP testing includes four advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS): lane keeping support, pedestrian automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, and blind spot intervention. Engineers have designed these four specific technologies to mitigate high-frequency and high-risk crash types.

NHTSA is currently seeking public input on how best to develop a rating system for ADAS technologies.

"These upgrades will make NCAP more dynamic," Deputy Administrator Owens said. "American car buyers want safety, and NHTSA wants to empower them with comparative safety information about vehicles in the market. This information creates powerful market-based incentives for automakers to invest in advanced safety technologies that will save lives and prevent injuries."

The NHTSA began testing vehicles in 1978. The first tests examined frontal impact protection and used data from crash test dummies. The five-star safety rating system was established in 1993 and have been steadily increasing the scope of the testing over the last two decades.

From Your Site Articles

Trending News

 
 

Electric Vehicles

NHTSA getting serious about vehicle battery safety risks with new initiative

Electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles are gaining prominence among buyers, but they still face safety obstacles.

Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Mfg. Inc.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that they are establishing the a Battery Safety Initiative for Electric Vehicles. This initiative is designed to coordinate research and other activities to address safety risks relating to batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs).

This move by the NHTSA, which has received flack for not taking the threats of Tesla's battery and hands-free-ish driving capability seriously, has long been anticipated. However, the problem isn't isolated to Tesla.

Not only will the research collect and analyze data related to electric vehicle battery safety, the NHTSA will examine field incidents including special investigations of electric vehicle crash and non-crash events related to battery safety. This research includes evaluations of the health of a battery including the role of prognostics, diagnostics, and intervention.

2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E The Ford Mustang Mach-E is just one of the new RVs arriving in the U.S. market.Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Battery Management System (BMS) cybersecurity will also be considered. The government agency will explore the risks and vehicle-side measures related to wired and wireless charging communications and other vehicle connectivity paths, such a telematics, that could allow for access to a vehicle's BMS. Many electric vehicle. makers allow owners to download an app that connects to their vehicle that schedules charging, electricity flow, and other EV-specific commands.

High-voltage battery charging failure modes and effects analysis are also part of the efforts. NHTSA will evaluate the safety of extremely fast charging (350 kilowatts to 1 megawatt) and wireless vehicle charging. They will also take into account the advances in battery management systems and work to develop test regulated procedures.

Additionally, the NHTSA has charged its workers with developing Phase 1 of Global Technical Regulation (GTR) No. 20 for Electric Vehicle Safety into the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. These regulations were adopted by the United Nations World Forum in 2018 and contain requirements for in-use operational safety, post-crash electrical safety, and battery fire safety.

Once that is complete, the NHTSA will participate in the development of Phase 2 of the GTR No. 20 for Electrical Vehicle Safety. The issues being considered in the second phase include safety as it relates to battery thermal runaway, water immersion, and vibration resistance.

From Your Site Articles

Trending News