Massive Takata Airbag Recall-what YOU need to know!

MASSIVE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL:what YOU need to know! A massive airbag recall involving millions of automobiles in the United States are defective and dangerous. Nearly two-dozen brands of vehicles may have the defective shrapnel-shooting infiltrator parts from the Japanese supplier Takata.   Why It’s A Problem There are millions of defective infiltrator and propellant devices that may deploy improperly during a collision, firing metal fragments into automobile occupants. It is believed that approximately 17 million vehicles are potentially affected in the United States;  an additional seven million have been recalled worldwide.   When Takata announced the recall, in April 2013, only six makes were involved. But a Toyota recall in June 2014-along with new admissions from Takata that it did not know (specifically) which cars contained the defective infiltrators or what the root cause was-prompted more automakers to issue identical recalls. In July 2014, NHTSA ordered further regional recalls in high-humidity areas including Hawaii, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to gather the removed parts and send them to Takata for inspections.   Another Recall Another recall was issued on October 20, 2014. It expanded the affected vehicles across several brands. Toyota started to replace defective passenger-side infiltrators on October 25, 2014. Toyota claimed that there had been no deaths or injuries involving its automobiles, back in 2014; but a New York Times report in September 2014 found a total of at least 139 reported injuries across all automakers.   There had been at least two deaths and 30 injuries in Honda automobiles. According to the New York Times, Honda and Takata had allegedly known about the defective infiltrators since 2004 but failed to notify NHTSA in previous recall filings (which began in 2008) that the affected airbags had actually ruptured or were linked to injuries or deaths.   Takata first said that propellant chemicals were mishandled and improperly stored during assembly, which supposedly caused the metal airbag infiltrators to burst open due to excessive pressure inside. In July 2014, Takata blamed humid weather and spurred additional recalls.   According to documents reviewed by Reuters, Takata said that rust, bad welds and even chewing gum dropped into at least one infiltrator are also at fault. Those same documents showed that in 2002, Takata’s plant in Mexico allowed a defect rate that was “six to eight times above,” acceptable limits, or roughly 60 to 80 defective parts for every one million airbag infiltrators shipped. The company’ study has yet to reach a final conclusion and report its findings to the NHTSA.   The New York Times spoke again with one of its two sources for the November 6 article. The source chose to remain anonymous, saying: “What Takata says is not true…They are trying to switch things around.”   UPDATE: NOVEMBER 7, 2014, 9:44 a.m.: The NEW YORK Times published a report suggesting that Takata knew about the airbag issues in 2004, conducting secret tests during off-work hours to verify the problem. Their results confirmed major issues with the infiltrators and engineers quickly began researching a solution. But instead of notifying federal safety regulators and moving forward with fixes, Takata executives ordered its engineers to destroy the data and dispose of the physical evidence. This happened a full four years before Takata publicly acknowledged the problem.   UPDATE: November 7, 2014, 5:29 p.m.:   Two U.S. Senators called for the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation on Takata.   UPDATE: February 20, 2015, 4:10 p.m.: TAKATA faces civil fines of $14,000 per day for its alleged refusal to cooperate with a federal investigation over defective airbags.   UPDATE: March 12, 2015, 12:10 p.m.: Honda has announced that it is instituting a voluntary advertising campaign urging owners of Honda and Acura automobiles to check for open airbag and safety recalls that may affect their vehicle.   UPDATE: March 19, 2015, 2:25 p.m.: Honda has added approximately 105,000 vehicles to its recall list.   UPDATE: May 19, 2015, 6:15 p.m.: Takata has declared as defective nearly 34 million vehicles’ airbags.  U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx called the expanded recall the “most complex consumer-safety recall in U.S. history.” Foxx added: “Up until now Takata has refused to acknowledge that their airbags are defective; that changes today.”   AFFECTED VEHICLES (total number-if known-in parentheses):   Acura: 2002–2003 TL; 2002 CL; 2003–2006 MDX; 2005 Acura RL BMW (approximately 765,000): 2000–2005 3-series sedan and wagon; 2000–2006 3-series coupe and convertible; 2001–2006 M3 coupe and convertible Chrysler (approximately 2.88 million, including Dodge): 2004–2008 Chrysler 300; 2007–2008 Aspen Dodge/Ram (approximately 2.88 million, including Chrysler): 2003–2008 Dodge Ram 1500; 2004–2008 Ram 2500, Dakota, and Durango; 2004–2007 Charger; 2004–2008 Ram 3500 and 4500; 2008 Ram 5500 Ford (538,977): 2004–2005 Ranger; 2005–2006 GT; 2005–2008 Mustang Honda (approximately 5.5 million, including Acura): 2001–2007 Accord (four-cylinder); 2001–2002 Accord (V-6); 2001–2005 Civic; 2002–2006 CR-V; 2002–2004 Odyssey; 2003–2011 Element; 2003–2008 Pilot; 2006 Ridgeline Infiniti: 2001–2004 Infiniti I30/I35; 2002–2003 Infiniti QX4; 2003–2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45; 2006 Infiniti M35/M45 Lexus: 2002–2007 SC430 Mazda (330,000, est): 2004–2008 Mazda 6; 2006–2007 Mazda speed 6; 2004–2008 Mazda RX-8; 2004–2005 MPV; 2004 B-series Mitsubishi (11,985): 2004–2005 Lancer; 2006–2007 Raider Nissan (approximately 1,091,000, including Infiniti): 2001–2003 Maxima; 2001–2004 Pathfinder; 2002–2006 Nissan Sentra Pontiac: 2003–2005 Vibe Saab: 2005 9-2X Subaru (17,516): 2003–2005 Baja, Legacy, Outback; 2004–2005 Impreza, Impreza WRX, Impreza WRX STI Toyota (approximately 1,514,000, including Lexus and Pontiac Vibe): 2002–2007 Toyota Corolla and Sequoia; 2003–2007 Matrix; 2003–2006 Tundra; 2004–2005 RAV4