— After getting beat-up by a $14,000 daily fine concerning its defective airbag inflators, Takata is expanding previous airbag inflator recalls to include almost 34 million vehicles.
Previous passenger-side airbag recalls that involved regional areas will now be expanded to include all areas of the U.S. involving more than 16 million vehicles. Other nationwide recalls will now be expanded to replace the driver-side airbag inflators in more than 17 million vehicles.
Those inflators have caused at least six deaths in Honda vehicles alone, Takata's largest auto airbag customer. Although studies continue, the best evidence so far indicates the metal inflators inside the airbags can degrade over time. Engineers believe moisture can enter the inflators and cause chemical changes to the explosive propellant used to deploy the airbags.
Inside the metal inflators is the explosive ammonium nitrate, one of the cheaper chemicals to use, but a chemical that becomes unstable if affected by moisture.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also issued a Consent Order to Takata requiring the company to not drag its feet with any future investigations. Additionally, NHTSA announced it is taking legal action against Takata, in effect so NHTSA can control the process of replacing the defective airbag inflators.
Updated - July 13, 2015: The latest recalls as announced by NHTSA or the automakers are listed at the bottom of this page.
To date, these vehicles are included in the expanded Takata airbag recalls:
Passenger Airbag Recalls (Expanded to Nationwide)
- 2001-2006 Honda Civic
- 2003-2007 Honda Accord
- 2003-2007 Toyota Corolla
- 2003-2007 Toyota Matrix
- 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe
Driver-Side Airbag Recalls
- 2003-2006 Acura MDX
- 2002-2003 Acura TL
- 2003 Acura CL
- 2004-2006 BMW 325Ci
- 2004-2006 BMW 325i
- 2004-2005 BMW 325Xi
- 2004-2006 BMW 330Ci
- 2004-2006 BMW 330i
- 2004-2005 BMW 330Xi
- 2004-2006 BMW M3
- 2005-2007 Chrysler 300
- 2005-2007 Chrysler 300C
- 2007 Chrysler Aspen
- 2005-2007 Chrysler SRT8
- 2005-2007 Dodge Charger
- 2005-2007 Dodge Dakota
- 2004-2007 Dodge Durango
- 2005-2007 Dodge Magnum
- 2004-2007 Dodge Ram 1500
- 2005-2007 Dodge Ram 2500
- 2006-2007 Dodge Ram 3500
- 2005-2008 Ford Mustang
- 2005-2006 Ford GT
- 2004-2005 Ford Ranger
- 2001-2007 Honda Accord
- 2001-2005 Honda Civic
- 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid
- 2002 Honda CR-V
- 2003-2011 Honda Element
- 2002-2004 Honda Odyssey
- 2003-2008 Honda Pilot
- 2006 Honda Ridgeline
- 2004-2008 Mazda6
- 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed 6
- 2004-2008 Mazda RX-8
- 2006-2007 Mitsubishi Raider
Nationwide Passenger-Side Airbag Recalls
- 2005 Chrysler 300, 300C
- 2005 Dodge Dakota
- 2005 Dodge Magnum
- 2004-2005 Ford Ranger
- 2005-2006 Ford GT
- 2003-2005 Infiniti FX35, FX45
- 2006 Infiniti M35, M45
- 2003-2004 Infiniti I35
- 2002-2005 Lexus SC
- 2004-2005 Mitsubishi Lancer
- 2003-2004 Nissan Pathfinder
- 2004-2006 Nissan Sentra
- 2003-2005 Pontiac Vibe
- 2003-2005 Ram Pickup
- 2005 Saab 92X
- 2003-2005 Subaru Baja
- 2003-2005 Subaru Impreza
- 2003-2005 Subaru Legacy
- 2003-2005 Subaru Outback
- 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla, Matrix
- 2002-2005 Toyota Sequoia
- 2003-2005 Toyota Tundra
The Takata airbag recall crisis has grown so large the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has created a dedicated website for vehicle owners: www.safercar.gov/rs/takata/index.html
Expanded Takata Airbag Recalls
May 20, 2015: Honda is recalling 3.3 million model year 2003 Honda Accord and 2001-2006 Honda Civic cars to replace the front passenger airbag inflators. The recall is in addition to any previous recalls for these cars, and if your car was involved in a past incident that caused the front passenger airbag to be replaced, the inflator will still need to be replaced.
A separate front passenger airbag recall involves 5.2 million model year 2004-2007 Honda Accords and 2003-2007 Toyota Corolla, Matrix and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. No further details are available.
May 28, 2015: Fiat Chrysler is recalling over 5 million vehicles to replace the Takata airbags.
Front driver-side airbag recall
- 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500
- 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500
- 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500
- 2007-2009 Dodge Ram 3500
- 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500
- 2008-2009 Sterling 4500 and 5500
- 2004-2008 Dodge Durango
- 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C and SRT8
- 2005-2010 Dodge Charger
- 2005-2010 Dodge Magnum
- 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota
- 2006-2011 Mitsubishi Raider
Front passenger-side airbag recall
- 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500
If you own one of these Fiat Chrysler vehicles and the affected airbags have already been replaced, you'll need to go through the entire process again.
The automaker doesn't know when the recalls will begin, but affected owners can call Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403 or Mitsubishi owners may call 888-648-7820.
May 28, 2015: Honda is adding another 350,000 vehicles to its ever-growing Takata recall list, but the automaker says it will take many weeks to determine which vehicles are involved.
Front passenger-side airbag recall
Honda says the 2005 Civic and 2006-2007 Accord will have the passenger-side front airbag replaced, an expansion of previous regional recalls that included vehicles in areas of high absolute humidity.
Front driver-side airbag recall
Honda had issued a "safety improvement campaign" in 2014 for specific 2001-2011 Honda and Acura vehicles, including the 2008 Honda Pilot. That campaign will now be an official recall.
Vehicles named in this latest recall of 5 million Honda vehicles include the:
- 2001-2007 Honda Accord
- 2001-2005 Honda Civic
- 2002-2006 Honda CR-V
- 2003-2011 Honda Element
- 2002-2004 Honda Odyssey
- 2003-2008 Honda Pilot
- 2006 Honda Ridgeline
- 2003-2006 Acura MDX
- 2002-2003 Acura TL
- 2003 Acura CL
- 2005 Acura RL
Honda said it will notify owners at some point after June 15, 2015.
May 28, 2015: Ford is expanding its previous Takata airbag recalls to bring the total number of recalled vehicles to 1.5 million. The automaker says 1,380,604 of the cars and trucks are in the U.S. and federalized territories, 93,207 are in Canada and 16,953 in Mexico.
- 2005-2014 Ford Mustang (Driver-side airbag inflators)
- 2005-2006 Ford GT (Driver-side airbag inflators)
- 2004-2006 Ford Ranger (Passenger-side airbag inflators)
The best way to know if your vehicle is affected is to visit the Ford website and use your VIN.
May 28, 2015: Mitsubishi has added another 83,000 vehicles by expanding previous regional recalls into nationwide recalls. Mitsubishi lists the recalled vehicles as the following:
- 2004-2006 Mitsubishi Lancer
- 2004-2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
- 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback
Mitsubishi says its website will be updated by June 3, 2015, which will allow an owner to use their VIN to search for recall information. The automaker will notify its dealers on the same date. Mitsubishi says owner notification letters will be mailed between June 17 and June 24, 2015.
May 28, 2015: BMW has added another 280,000 vehicles to replace Takata airbags, bringing the total number to 421,000 recalled BMW cars in the U.S.
BMW says the following vehicles are called back.
- 2002-2005 325i/325xi/330i/330xi
- 2002-2005 325xi/325i Sports Wagon
- 2002-2006 330Ci/325Ci/M3 Convertible
- 2002-2006 325i/330i/M3 Coupe
- 2002-2003 M5/540i/525i/530i
- 2002-2003 540i/525i Sports Wagon
- 2003-2004 X5 3.0i/4.4i Sports Activity Vehicle
May 29, 2015: General Motors is recalling 375,000 model year 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks to replace the passenger-side airbag inflators. GM hasn't released details of when the recall will begin, but owners can contact Chevrolet at 800-222-1020 or GMC at 800-462-8782.
May 29, 2015: Subaru says about 81,000 vehicles will be called back to replace the passenger-side Takata airbag inflators. The automaker says the 2004-2005 Impreza and 2005 Saab 9-2x will need to be repaired at some point past July 27, 2015. Subaru Impreza owners can contact customer service at 800-782-2783. Owners of the Saab 9-2x can call 800-955-9007.
June 1, 2015: Ford is recalling over 1 million cars to replace the driver-side airbags. The recall involves the 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT. The automaker will begin notifying affected owners on July 13, 2015.
June 4, 2015: Mazda is recalling almost 445,000 model year 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2008 RX-8 and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles. To read how owners will have to endure the process twice, click here.
Mazda is also recalling over 27,000 model year 2004-2006 Mazda B-series trucks to replace the front passenger-side airbag inflators. The recall should begin by the end of July 2015.
June 14, 2015: Daimler AG is recalling over 40,000 vans to replace the passenger front airbags. The recalled vans include the 2007-08 Dodge Sprinter 2500 and 3500 and 2007-08 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasn't said when the recall will begin, but Daimler will notify Freightliner owners and Fiat Chrysler will notify Dodge customers.
June 16, 2015: Honda is recalling about 1.4 million passenger-side front Takata airbag inflators in vehicles not included in previous passenger-side inflator recalls. The cars are the 2001-2005 Civic and 2003-2007 Accord. Owners who have been involved in front passenger airbag inflators under previous recalls or "safety improvement campaigns" will now be part of a nationwide recall. Honda says it will mail recall notifications within 60 days. If you have questions or concerns, contact Honda at 800-999-1009.
June 16, 2015: Toyota is expanding previous passenger-side airbag inflator recalls in many popular cars, bringing the total number of recalled Toyota and Lexus cars to about 2.9 million. Toyota names the cars as the 2003-2007 Corolla and Corolla Matrix; 2005-2006 Tundra; 2005-2007 Sequoia and the 2003-2007 Lexus SC430. Owners of the recalled cars will be notified by Toyota so the passenger front airbag inflators can be replaced. The automaker does not know when the recall will begin, but with questions, call Toyota at 800-331-4331 or Lexus at 800-255-3987.
June 17, 2015: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it now has a list of all 34 million vehicles affected by the Takata airbag recalls. Find your vehicle identification number and visit https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/.
July 9, 2015: Honda recalls 4.5 million cars outside the U.S. Read more here.
July 11, 2015: Dodge recalls 88,000 Challengers to replace the driver-side front airbag inflators. Read about the recall here.
