Some of the biggest names in motor vehicle manufacturing were recently added to the ever-expanding list of carmakers struggling with Takata airbag inflators. As you undoubtedly know, Takata is a Japanese automotive parts company whose airbag inflators can explode and injure people.
The latest recall of potentially unsafe vehicles from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration includes 1.7 million vehicles from Japanese, German, American and Italian automakers Subaru, BMW, Volkswagen, Tesla, Ferrari, Daimler Vans and Mercedes.
NHTSA says this is part of a wider recall of Takata’s airbags, which can deteriorate over time and then cause injuries and deaths in explosions of flying shrapnel. The flaw in the airbag detonators has caused at least 23 deaths and injuries to hundreds, press reports have stated.
The automaker most significantly impacted by the new recalls is Japan’s Subaru, which is recalling more than 825,000 vehicles, including Outback, Legacy and Forester models made from 2010 to 2014.
Germany’s Mercedes was also hit hard by the recalls, with more than 280,000 vehicles made from 2010 to 2017 affected. Daimler Vans, a Mercedes subsidiary, is recalling 159,689 of its vehicles manufactured from 2015 to 2017.
Volkswagen is recalling nearly 120,000 vehicles, including Passat and Audi models made from 2015 to 2017.
Also from Germany: BMW is recalling slightly more than 266,000 vehicles made from 2000 to 2004 and also from 2007 to 2015.
U.S. automaker Tesla is recalling more than 68,000 of the Model S cars it made from 2014 to 2016 and Italy’s iconic Ferrari is recalling slightly more than 11,000 vehicles from 2014 to last year.
You can check to see if your vehicle was included in the recalls by going to www.safercar.gov and entering in your Vehicle Identification Number under “Search for Recalls by VIN.” If your vehicle is indeed subject to a recall, call or go to your manufacturer’s dealership to schedule the recall repair.
If you have purchased a defective or unsafe vehicle, contact an attorney experienced in lemon law and automobile fraud.