The number of U.S. vehicles with defective airbags soared from 5 million to 7.8 million Wednesday. Federal highway safety officials are urging car owners “to take immediate action” to replace the faulty airbags.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the defective airbags from Takata Corp. pose a potentially deadly risk if you get in a wreck. According to NBC:
The airbag canisters are believed to explode during crashes under certain conditions, sending shrapnel toward motorists. Safety advocates say the defect has been implicated in four deaths worldwide and dozens of injuries.
Vehicle owners in areas with high humidity, including Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, are especially at risk of the faulty airbags, the NHTSA said. The recall list includes many models from BMW, Chrysler, General Motors, Ford, Mazda, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota.
“Responding to these recalls, whether old or new, is essential to personal safety, and it will help aid our ongoing investigation into Takata airbags and what appears to be a problem related to extended exposure to consistently high humidity and temperatures,” NHTSA deputy administrator David Friedman said in a statement.
Click here to see if your vehicle is included in the recall. The NHTSA said you can also check your car manufacturer’s website or Safercar.gov.
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