# Bazillion-car recall over defective airbags? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 22, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102 "2014-10-22T02:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/1 "2014-10-22T02:46:36Z")
I just noticed this AP news article, [US agency warns car owners to get air bags fixed](http://news.yahoo.com/us-agency-warns-car-owners-154612276.html), dated yesterday (October 20, 2014), as republished in Yahoo News. It says a batch of airbag inflators manufactured by a certain company can rupture when inflating the bag, spraying the airbagee with metal shrapnel. Some injuries and even a few fatalities from this have happened. AND, the article says to go to [Recalls Look-up by VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)](https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/) to see if your car is recalled. I can’t connect to that site. It appears to be a dead link. Can anybody else try it and see if it works? ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/2 "2014-10-22T03:29:26Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I just noticed this AP news article, [US agency warns car owners to get air bags fixed](http://news.yahoo.com/us-agency-warns-car-owners-154612276.html), dated yesterday (October 20, 2014), as republished in Yahoo News. > > It says a batch of airbag inflators manufactured by a certain company can rupture when inflating the bag, spraying the airbagee with metal shrapnel. Some injuries and even a few fatalities from this have happened. > > AND, the article says to go to [Recalls Look-up by VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)](https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/) to see if your car is recalled. > > I can’t connect to that site. It appears to be a dead link. Can anybody else try it and see if it works? Nope. Link doesn’t work for me. I have a 2014 Corolla and from other sites, I gather any car like mine is included in the recall if it was built before June of 14. I bought in Nov 14. I have not received any recall notice but I did find a directive not to have any front seat passengers until this is repaired. Should I have to search out the info? I think not. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/3 "2014-10-22T03:37:26Z")
Thanks, **Buttercup Smith**. I just wanted to know if I’m the only one who can’t get to that web site. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/4 "2014-10-22T03:48:30Z")
Here, LMGTFM. A couple of recent New York Times articles: [It Looked Like a Stabbing, but Takata Air Bag Was the Killer](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/business/it-looked-like-a-stabbing-but-takata-air-bag-was-the-killer.html?_r=0) [Few Answers After an Alert on Takata Air Bags](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/22/business/takata-air-bag-warning-leaves-drivers-looking-for-answers-as-federal-resources-fail-to-respond.html). The second article (“Few Answers . . .”) mentions that they can’t get through to the government web site either, although I don’t know if it’s the same one I tried. This article also gives a variety of other links that might help, including the web pages of a bunch of auto manufacturers’ recall lists. Google defective airbag recall to find many more cites. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/5 "2014-10-22T03:55:21Z")
> **[Airbag defect spurs recall of 4.7 million vehicles](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2014/10/20/airbag-defect-spurs-recall-of-4-7-million-vehicles/?tid=pm_pop)** > > Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan and GM vehicles hit by recall. [http://www.safercar.gov/](http://www.safercar.gov/) works as a starting point–I didn’t go deeper. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/6 "2014-10-22T12:05:41Z")
the other question in this mess is why St. Honda didn’t bother to, you know, _tell_ anyone about it when the problem first arose. > **[The Terrifying Airbag Recall Five Times Bigger Than GM's Recall](https://jalopnik.com/the-terrifying-air-bag-recall-five-times-bigger-than-gm-1633935391)** > > This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place every weekday morning. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your... > **[Air Bag Flaw, Long Known to Honda and Takata, Led to Recalls (Published 2014)](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/12/business/air-bag-flaw-long-known-led-to-recalls.html?ref=automobiles&_r=1)** > > Honda and the air bag maker Takata did not disclose the dangers of exploding air bags for years, despite red flags, opting to settle confidential claims but not issue recalls. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/7 "2014-10-22T12:29:36Z")
> [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > I gather any car like mine is included in the recall if it was built before June of 14. I bought in Nov 14. You bought you car next month? Talk about new car smell . . . ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/8 "2014-10-22T14:31:10Z")
This is definitely a big deal. Takata is one of the biggest automotive suppliers around. Pretty much every automaker uses their airbags. What I don’t get is why they’re only recalling cars in humid climates. If the airbag is basically doing its best impersonation of a claymore mine, then why would this be worse for someone in (say) Florida than in Ohio? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/9 "2014-10-22T15:11:04Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > This is definitely a big deal. Takata is one of the biggest automotive suppliers around. Pretty much every automaker uses their airbags. > > What I don’t get is why they’re only recalling cars in humid climates. If the airbag is basically doing its best impersonation of a claymore mine, then why would this be worse for someone in (say) Florida than in Ohio? the story is that supposedly moisture is affecting the inflator propellant in such a way that if the airbag is deployed, the propellant detonates instead of undergoing a rapid controlled burn, and bursts the canister which sends metal shrapnel flying. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/10 "2014-10-22T15:35:08Z")
I’ve never thought having explosive-inflated bags in cars was a very good idea. Especially with how close some people sit next to their steering wheel. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/11 "2014-10-22T20:03:42Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I’ve never thought having explosive-inflated bags in cars was a very good idea. Especially with how close some people sit next to their steering wheel. Hence the need for a back-seat driver. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/12 "2014-10-22T20:33:44Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Hence the need for a back-seat driver. I think I’ll start driving my own car from the back seat from now on. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/13 "2014-10-22T20:57:28Z")
[Safer Car Vehicle Safety, Ratings and Recalls | NHTSA](http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Owners/VIN-lookup-msg) has links to manufacturer VIN lookup pages. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/14 "2014-10-23T03:32:51Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Safer Car Vehicle Safety, Ratings and Recalls | NHTSA](http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Owners/VIN-lookup-msg) has links to manufacturer VIN lookup pages. It says: > [@](#): > > NHTSA is experiencing intermittent network issues that are making some functions on [SaferCar.gov](http://SaferCar.gov) temporarily unavailable. These include the recall search by VIN look-up tool, the full search for complaints and recalls, and filing a complaint. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. But yeah, it does have links to many manufacturers’ recall pages. So I’m-a bookmarking that. Thanks for this link, **ZipperJJ**. What’s with all these recall sites being down? Lemme guess: They’re all overwhelmed with those bazillion car owners trying to look up their cars there. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/15 "2014-10-23T14:04:45Z")
I guess there was some part source / production variation with the ranges of years and models listed- my truck is on the broad list of vehicles (2005-2008 Dodge Dakotas) listed with this problem, but doesn’t register on the Mopar/Ram VIN lookup as one of the recalled vehicles so I’m guessing I’m ok. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/16 "2014-10-23T14:56:52Z")
Well I’m safe – I don’t drive a Brazilian car. What? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/17 "2014-10-23T15:10:41Z")
I’m from Bazil where all the nuts come from. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/18 "2014-10-23T15:23:38Z")
I think I’ll go get my Bazillion car waxed. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazillion-car-recall-over-defective-airbags/702102/19 "2014-10-23T15:24:58Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I’ve never thought having explosive-inflated bags in cars was a very good idea. Especially with how close some people sit next to their steering wheel. It is acknowledged that this is not a very good idea. It’s just a better idea than letting people impale themselves on steering wheels or brain themselves on windshields like in the old days. So you accept the occasional burn or severe injury from the airbag due to the reduction in even more frequent severe injuries that would happen without the bag. Flying shrapnel, on the other hand, changes the equation more than a little.