Takata air bag recall affects 11 vehicle makes and an estimated 34 million vehicles. Look up your vehicle and see if it is being recalled. All VINs affected by Takata recalls now searchable in NHTSA tool.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is calling the Takata air bag recall “one of the largest and most complex product recalls in history.” To make it easier for you to determine whether your car is affected by the Takata recall, NHTSA has loaded all the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) into its VIN Lookup Tool on the agency’s website, SaferCar.gov.
The VIN Lookup Tool is simple to use and will inform consumers about all open recalls on their vehicle—not only the Takata air bag recall.
Why the recall? As the NHTSA explained, last month, Takata announced a national recall of certain types of driver and passenger side air bag inflators. These inflators were made with a propellant that can degrade over time and has led to ruptures that have been blamed for seven deaths and more than 100 injuries worldwide. The full list of makes affected by the Takata recall is available on the NHTSA’s Recalls Spotlight page.
Also, be aware of some additional recalls that have not been as news worthy as the Air Bag recall.
Auto manufacturers issue recalls for gas pedals and airbags. Bendable gas pedals and flying metal comprise the latest round of recalls. Even if your car isn’t one that’s affected by the Takata recall, there may be other open recalls that pertain to your vehicle or to one that you’re thinking about buying or leasing.
NHTSA also has a new video available, Understanding Vehicle Recalls. The video explains what to expect if a car is recalled and what to do next. You can register for recall updates on vehicles, tires, or car seats so you’ll be notified about recalls that matter to you.