Well you can add a few more vehicles to the growing list of those affected by the Takata air bag fiasco.
On Dec. 23, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that four more models were being recalled because the passenger-side inflators ruptured during recently conducted ballistic testing.
The newest entrants to the recall list are:
- 2005-2008 Mazda6.
- 2002-2004 Honda CR-V.
- 2005-2008 Subaru Legacy.
- 2005-2008 Subaru Outback.
According to the NHTSA, just over 950,000 vehicles had been repaired in the two-week period ending Dec. 4, but the recall, one of the largest in U.S. history, involves 19 million cars and 11 different manufacturers. Approximately 25% of the recalled vehicles have been fixed.
March deadline
The recalls have been due to faulty inflators, which have been responsible for nine deaths so far, eight in the U.S. alone. High humidity can cause the bags to rupture and the latest fatality occurred in a vehicle that had spent most of its service life "in the high absolute humidity region and had been under recall for many years," read an NHTSA alert. The NHTSA is requiring all automakers to have enough parts available to repair the inflators in high-humidity regions by March 2016.
In addition, the NHTSA has selected John D. Buretta, a partner in the New York office of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and a former principal deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice, as a compliance monitor for TK Holdings Inc. (Takata) to assist the agency in providing oversight of Takata's compliance with consent orders.
"Mr. Buretta was selected from a group of outstanding applicants, and he and his team bring tremendous experience in complex corporate investigations," explained NHTSA Administrator, Mark Rosekind. "They will play a significant role in helping oversee Takata's compliance with its obligations under NHTSA enforcement orders, and in implementing the Coordinated Remedy Program to accelerate and prioritize the largest, most complex consumer safety effort in U.S. history."
The NHTSA is prioritizing the replacement of the defective air bags so those with the highest risks are replaced as soon as possible.
Vehicles in Priority Group 1 include the BMW 3 Series; Daimler vans; Daimler Bullet; Chrysler 300, 300C and SRT8; Dodge Challenger, Dakota, Magnum and Ram 1500; Ford GT, Mustang and Ranger; GM Pontiac Vibe and 9-2X; Acura 3.2 CL and 3.2 TL; Honda Accord, Civic, CR-V, Element, Odyssey, Pilot and Ridgeline; Mazda Mazda6, RX8 and Speed6; Mitsubishi Lancer, Lancer Evolution, Lancer Sportback and Raider; Infiniti Qx4; Nissan Pathfinder and Sentra; Subaru Impreza, Legacy and Outback; Lexus SC430; and the Toyota Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia and Tundra.
A full list of the vehicles NHTSA has recalled is available here.
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