NHTSA Releases Takata Airbag Recall List, More Honda, GM Recalls Announced

7/10/2015

It’s been a busy 48 hours for National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) chief Michael Rosekind. On Wednesday, the agency released the list of vehicles affected by the massive Takata airbag recall. In addition to the list that is published at the end of this posting, the NHTSA has created a vehicle identification number lookup that drivers can use to determine if their vehicle is affected. The release comes a day before Honda announced that is recalling an additional 4.5 million vehicles over the Takata issue, bringing the estimated total of vehicles affected by the recall to over 24.5 million. Prior to the Honda recall, Takata and the NHTSA have said approximately 33.8 million airbags were being recalled in total. Although the specific cause of the defect remains a mystery, many engineers believe that they have narrowed the problem down to the use of ammonium nitrate as the propellant in the airbag’s inflator mechanism. Experts believe that excess moisture causes the airbags to inflate with excessive force, spraying shrapnel into the vehicle’s cabin. 8 deaths and over 100 injuries have been attributed to the faulty airbags, including 7 deaths in the U.S.

To add to the NHTSA’s docket, General Motors preceded the Honda recall when it announced on Wednesday that the automaker is issuing two recalls totaling 250,000 vehicles, including 196,000 Hummer H3 models. The vehicles affected are 2006-2010 H3 models and 2009-2010 H3T SUV models. The recall was issued over a faulty control module on the blower motor for the heating and air conditioning unit that has caught fire on some vehicles. GM has confirmed that three people have suffered burns and 42 fires have been reported in total. The company also issued a separate recall involving over 50,000 2014-2015 Chevrolet Sparks and 2015 Chevrolet Sonics over a faulty radio component. The defect can lock-up the OnStar system as well as kill seatbelt and key left in ignition chimes, which are considered to be safety hazards. The defect can also prevent the radio from turning off, potentially draining the battery. Honda’s airbag recalls affect certain 2007-2011 Fit, CR-V, and Stream models, including over 160,000 of the vehicles in Japan. Honda is Takata’s largest customer, and the company issued a prior recall involving models as new as 2014 in May. The airbag manufacturer is facing a shortage of replacement airbags, and despite the increasing evidence pointing blame at the compound, the company has continued to use ammonium nitrate as the airbag’s propellant.

Both Rosekind and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx have called the Takata recall, “the most complex in U.S. auto history,” and the Transportation Department’s own Inspector General released a report last month faulting the NHTSA for its shaky rollout of information regarding the recall. Rosekind has said that it may take “months and even years” to reach a solution; nonetheless the agency has completed its list of vehicle makes and models affected by the Takata recall. Here is the list courtesy of MLive.com:

BMW:

2000 – 328i
2001-2006 – M3
2002-2003 – M5
2002-2006 – 325Ci
2002-2006 – 325Cic
2002-2006 – 330Ci
2002-2006 – 330Cic
2002-2005 – 325iT
2002-2005 – 325XiT
2000-2006 – 325i
2001-2006 – 325Xi
2001-2006 – 330i
2001-2006 – 330Xi
2002-2003 – 525i
2002-2003 – 525iT
2002-2003 – 530i
2002-2003 – 540i
2002-2003 – 540iT
2003-2004 – X5 3.0i
2003-2004 – X5 4.4i

FCA (Chrysler):

2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen
2005-2010 Chrysler 300
2005-2010 Chrysler 300C
2005-2010 Chrysler SRT8
2005-2010 Dodge Charger
2005-2011 Dodge Dakota
2004-2008 Dodge Durango
2005-2010 Dodge Magnum
2003-2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2003-2009 Dodge Ram 2500
2003-2009 Dodge Ram 3500
2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500
2008-2010 Dodge Ram 5500

Daimler Trucks North America:

2008-2009 Sterling Bullet 4500
2008-2009 Sterling Bullet 5500

Daimler Vans USA LLC:

2006-2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500
2006-2008 Dodge Sprinter 3500
2006-2008 Freightliner Sprinter 2500
2006-2008 Freightliner Sprinter 3500

Ford:

2004-2006 Ranger
2005-2006 GT
2005-2014 Mustang

General Motors (GM):

2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
2007-2008 GMC Sierra 2500
2007-2008 GMC Sierra 3500
2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe
2005 Saab 9-2x

Honda:

2001-2007 Accord
2001-2005 Civic
2003-2005 Civic Hybrid
2002-2006 CR-V
2003-2011 Element
2002-2004 Odyssey
2003-2008 Pilot
2002-2006 Ridgeline
2003 Acura CL
2002-2003 Acura TL
2003-2006 Acura MDX
2005 Acura RL

Mazda:

2004-2006 B-Series Truck
2003-2008 Mazda6
2006-2007 Mazda Mazdaspeed6
2004-2005 MPV
2004-2008 RX-8

Mitsubishi:

2004-2006 Lancer
2004-2006 Lancer Evolution
2004 Lancer Sportback
2006-2010 Mitsubishi Raider

Nissan:

2002-2003 Nissan Maxima
2002-2006 Nissan Sentra
2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2003-2005 Infiniti FX35
2003-2005 Infiniti FX45
2002-2004 Infiniti I35
2006 Infiniti M35
2006 Infiniti M45
2002-2003 Infiniti QX4

Subaru:

2003-2005 Baja
2004-2005 Impreza
2003-2005 Legacy
2003-2005 Outback

Toyota:

2003-2007 Corolla
2003-2007 Corolla Matrix
2004-2005 Rav4
2002-2007 Sequoia
2003-2006 Tundra
2002-2007 Lexus SC

Sources:

MLive.com – David Muller

The Detroit News – David Shepardson

Wall Street Journal – Yoko Kubota